Mumei No
by Karristan
Summary: Rukia has always had feelings for Orihime, but when she finally confesses it comes at the worst of times. They struggle to be with one another while other problems continue to arise making the future unclear. They may have to leave everything behind them
1. Chapter 1

Just a heads up this fic may get confusing from time to time since I wrote this to be a written version of the manga though the plot differs. I tried to keep the same fights in Las Noches though they differ. I put borders for time gaps/scene changes but the time gaps aren't that long and is usually within an hour, either forward or backwards. Anyways, enjoy and review. All opinions and criticism are welcome, as long as it's constructive.

Disclaimer; I do not own bleach or any of the characters. They all belong to T.K as everyone already knows.

Chapter - 1

She used the wall to support herself as she walked down the cold hallway. Blood dripped down her limp arm and down her leg leaving a trail as she continued on. Each step was a struggle and her zanpakutou was held loosely in a hand that couldn't even grip it properly anymore while the other supported her weight on the wall. She knew if she were to be found by the enemy it would be over in a flash. She hadn't the strength to even stand on her own let alone fight anything.

But she was close to her destination now and soon everything would be okay. Soon she would be able to say the words that only her lips had dared to hold back for so long. Many times she had wanted to say it. To allow the words to pass her lips would let the burden she had carried for so long be relieved and she would be free of her self inflicted torment.

Her eyes fell on a door and she knew automatically that her destination was just beyond it. She could sense the fear behind it and knew she had to get to that door. Even if she collapsed as soon as she got on the other side of it then that would be enough for her. As she got across from it she pressed her body closer to the wall and pushed herself off of it to cross the hall.

She hit the door and winced at the pressure it put on the wounds. A moment was taken for her to cough violently. Blood dripped from her mouth as her legs began to wobble under her. She couldn't stand much longer. Her hand fumbled desperately with the door handle for a moment before it opened silently. Her body was supported by the doorframe as she looked inside the room.

It was a decent sized room with a bed on one side and a table ment for only one person a few feet away from the bed. The walls were bare and stone white just as everything else here was. It was all bland and distasteful. The only thing on the wall was a small window just big enough for someone to squeeze through but it was tauntingly out of reach and barred.

She still hadn't been spotted as the one she came here for stood across the room and looked out the window. She smiled weakly and just watched in silence for a moment before she lost all feeling in her arm and her zanpakutou fell to the ground. The girl on the other side of the room jumped and turned around as if terrified of what she would see standing there. Her lips trembled as only one word passed her lips, "Rukia."

Said girl collapsed from exhaustion and her vision slowly began to fade. Before it could fade completely along with whatever life was left in her she felt a loving yet sad warmth above her. The warmth spread throughout her body and the pain of her wounds began to fade away. Rukia closed her eyes and accepted what was happening as she forced herself to roll over.

Her eyes opened as she found the other girl sitting by her side with tears in her eyes. She tried to smile for her as she wiped away any tear that dared to stain that beautiful face. Her arm was too heavy for her to keep up and soon it fell back to the ground but before it did the other girl caught it and held her hand with her own. "Why did you do all this, Rukia?"

"I know what it's like to be in this position, to be alone and helpless. I don't want you to be here like this. I don't want you to be here at all." Rukia said as more tears fell from the girls eyes. "Don't cry, Orihime. Tears are unbefitting of you so don't ever cry."

Orihime smiled weakly down at Rukia as she tried once more to wipe away the girl's tears. With her hand being supported it was a little easier for her to do but even as her wounds healed she still lacked the strength to do anything on her own. "It means a lot to know you came for me but it hurts me to see you like this."

"I know, but there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a long time now, Orihime." Rukia began. "Ever since I first saw you, you had caught my eye and a part of me was drawn to you. I wanted to be closer to you and possibly become your friend and when that happened I was overjoyed."

Orihime smiled warmly down at Rukia as new tears started to form in her eyes while she continued, "But soon just being your friend wasn't enough and I wanted more. At first I didn't know what it was but then I realized that I-"

Rukia cut off as voices were heard down the hallway. The voices were following the trail of blood to them. Rukia reached for her zanpakutou and gripped it as tightly as she could as she tried to get up. Orihime's inner shield was dispelled by her movement and it returned to her hairpin. "Orihime, get back I'll take care of this."

She forced herself up as the voices neared them. Orihime didn't leave her side at all as she helped Rukia up. Rukia raised her zanpakutou to the door weakly since her arm was still mostly numb from her previous battle. Two arrancar came into the doorway and looked at Rukia for a moment before they reached for their blades.

Rukia's grip on Orihime tightened and she threw her away from them. She lost her balance for a moment but quickly regained it and picked up her guard as the two arrancar readied for an attack. The blonde arrancar laughed at her attempt and said, "Look at this one. She thinks she can take us both on with those wounds. I'll kill this one you take that bitch over there."

She motioned towards Orihime with a smile and the other laughed and said, "With pleasure."

The dark haired arrancar moved towards Orihime but Rukia stepped right in front of her and swung her blade with as much force as she could manage. The arrancar took a step back to avoid it but Rukia went right after her and swung her blade with each step. She soon lost track of the other arrancar and focused on the one that she was attacking until she felt its presence behind her.

Rukia's eyes widened as she looked over her shoulder. It was already too late to do anything about it. This was the end for her now. But then a small light shot through the arrancar and past her. She watched it as it went right through the other arrancar as well. Rukia watched in shock as the small light went back to Orihime's hairpin. She held her hands over her mouth as she fought off her tears.

Rukia watched her sympathetically for a moment. Orihime had never been one for violence and for her to kill was not something she could handle doing. But there was no other choice here. If she hadn't acted then they both would have died but even telling her that wouldn't help.

Rukia slowly limped over to Orihime but held her zanpakutou tightly in her hand. She feared another arrancar would follow the trail of blood and find her here. Her presence put Orihime in danger and that was the last thing she wanted.

"We need to leave this place before we're found." Rukia said urgently.

Orihime shook her head, "I'm not going anywhere until your wounds are treated."

"Then do it fast. We don't have much time, Orihime." Rukia said. "Just heal the worst of it and do the rest when we're away from here and safe. Do you understand?"

Orihime nodded sadly and brought up her inner shield once more to heal Rukia's wounds. Tears rolled down Orihime's cheeks freely and there wasn't much that Rukia could physically do to wipe them away. If she moved the shield would disappear and then they would leave regardless of any remaining wounds. "Rukia, what were you going to say before?"

Rukia smiled at the other girl but simply said, "Now's not the time, Orihime."

She nodded as if in disappointment as the worst of Rukia's wounds healed. She knew that it was all Rukia wanted healed right now but didn't retreat her inner shield. If she could get away with healing more then she was supposed to then she would be happy.

"Orihime," Rukia said gently. "You don't have to do anymore then that."

She nodded sadly and the shield disappeared but the light didn't retreat to her hairpin instead it moved past Rukia to the fallen arrancar. Rukia glanced over at them before looking back to Orihime. She didn't approve of these actions but she wasn't about to stop them. All she could say was, "Do it quick and don't heal them completely. I don't want them to follow us."

Orihime nodded and moved past her since her power worked better if she were right beside the person she was trying to heal. She lingered on the blonde arrancar for only a moment before going to the next one. Rukia made her way over to Orihime's side and placed her hand on her shoulder when she got there. "We've lingered long enough. We still have to find the others and get out of here."

Orihime nodded and stood up while her inner shield returned to her hairpin. They moved to the door quickly but they went through it cautiously as they feared being caught by anything else. They followed the blood trail much to their displeasure. Rukia wasn't happy about letting Orihime know how much she had struggled to get to her while Orihime didn't like to see all this blood.

Unfortunately for both of them it was a long trail before they would be rid of it. They couldn't backtrack to go down the clean part of the hallway since there was no telling where that even led. If they followed the blood it would lead them outside then unfortunately back to that dark room where she fought that despicable hollow that portrayed itself as someone very dear to Rukia. Someone that she had believed was dead.

They walked on quickly in silence as there were surges of reiatsu all around Hueco Mundo. Rukia focused on each one to identify them. Ichigo was outmatched and fighting an espada that she had seen only once or twice while Renji and Uryu had found each other and were both fighting an espada she was unfamiliar with while Chad had fallen a while ago.

While Rukia was concerned about Chad, getting to Ichigo was her main priority since it would give them a better chance at survival and he was also the closest so it made more sense then going to Chad then backtracking even more. It pained her but he would have to wait for now. For now they just had to get to Ichigo before it was too late but with her current wounds she wouldn't be of much help to anyone. They had to find a place to hide before they were found.

Soon they came across a door and Rukia decided to chance it. They went through it and found it was another small room just like the one Orihime was in. As the door closed behind them Rukia collapsed on the wall in exhaustion. Even as her wounds were being healed none of her strength came back to her. She needed to rest to regain her strength but how long could they really afford to linger here?

Orihime stood in front of Rukia in silence as she fought off her tears and healed the last of the wounds. Rukia smiled warmly at her for her immediate care. Perhaps it was finally time to allow the words to pass her lips and maybe this time there would be no interruption. It was now or never, "Orihime, a while ago I realized that I didn't want a friendship with you. I wanted more then that. I want to be in a relationship with you."

"I know," Orihime said warmly. "I've noticed that."

Rukia's face paled a little. "When did you figure it out?"

"When we were training together it just sort of went off like a light bulb." She said with a giggle. "Shortly after that I realized that I wanted the same thing with you."

Rukia's face brightened immediately and she practically leapt at Orihime in her joy. The two held each other closely for a while before they parted to share their first kiss. It was short lived and they both pulled away with a blush but Orihime was the only one to look away in embarrassment. Rukia smiled at her before she noticed an approaching reiatsu. Luckily both of them had theirs hidden so they wouldn't be noticed unless they were too loud or whoever was approaching planned on coming in here.

Rukia pulled Orihime to the wall with her then brought her against it as well. There were no words between them as the presence came closer. Rukia gripped her zanpakutou while her other hand gripped Orihime's. She didn't want their first kiss to be their last as well but if they were to be found and killed then she was happy in knowing that she had confessed her feelings and that they were returned as well.

Their grip tightened on each other as the presence came to the door but it didn't linger and it just kept going as it followed the blood trail. They remained silent and still until the presence was long gone. When it was gone they still didn't speak but allowed themselves to relax a little. The two met eyes once more and Rukia pulled Orihime into another kiss.

When they parted she said, "If we don't make it out of here I want to at least have shared more then one kiss with you."

Orihime smiled with a blush. "I'm sure we'll be fine, Rukia."

"Let it air on the side of caution then." Rukia replied. "Are you ready to go?"

She got a quick nod and they went to the door. When it opened they once again left cautiously and went away from the hollow that had just past them not long ago. They continued down the hall at a quicker pace since Rukia could manage it and the kisses the two of them shared seemed to give Rukia strength as well as a boost in confidence.

It wasn't long before Rukia found it safe enough to sheath her zanpakutou so they could quicken their pace once more. Both of them were anxious to get to Ichigo since they both wanted to leave this place and be alone together though Orihime's innocent mind was thinking of a date scenario while Rukia's more mature mind was thinking more intimately. She wanted to hold Orihime in her arms and kiss her until there was no more embarrassment between them even if it was incredibly cute to see Orihime that embarrassed over such a little thing like kissing.

A slight smile formed on both of their faces as they imagined how their time together would be once they left Hueco Mundo behind them. But how long would they have until Aizen's attack? Rukia's smile faded as she realized that any relationship they had would have to be put off until after the war was over and they were back in a time of peace. But then what would happen? She still had her orders to take care of and she couldn't leave Ichigo by himself. Not for very long anyways.

They ran in silence and met no one along the way. It wasn't much farther until they reached Ichigo as well. They slowed their pace a little and Rukia released Orihime's hand much to both of their disappointment but both knew what would happen when they reached Ichigo. Rukia would have to join the fight and help Ichigo as much as she could because if she didn't and he lost then they would have no chance of survival at all.

He was just beyond the next door. They burst through it and found just how destroyed the large corridor had become from the fight. Rukia took a quick glance at Orihime and said, "Find a corner, hide, and bring up your shield. Don't move until either Ichigo or I come and get you. Do you understand?"

Orihime nodded quickly and they both took off in separate directions. It wasn't long before she spotted Ichigo as he was pushed back across the room followed closely by his opponent. Rukia stopped for a brief moment to release her shikai before she used shunpo to stop the espada's next attack.

She made it just in time to save Ichigo's life and caught their opponent by enough surprise to push him back a little allowing Ichigo to get off the ground and to her side. His breathing was heavy and he was clearly exhausted to the point where he was straining himself to keep fighting. But with his weariness his breathing didn't even sound human to her. All her concerns about Ichigo were pushed aside as the espada attacked them again.

He came at both of them but they dodged to the side and attacked him at the same time from each side but he was too fast and disappeared before they even came close to contact. They jumped away as he came at both of them again. As his attack landed he went after Rukia since she had less injuries then Ichigo was even if he was stronger then her. That didn't matter since he was ready to collapse. But Rukia was no better off. She just had a boost of confidence from kissing the girl that ment so much to her.

She blocked his attack but was pushed back to the wall and almost went through it. She winced in pain as he continued to push her into the wall while his eyes never left her nor did they even move in the slightest. They didn't even blink when he disappeared to avoid Ichigo's attack.

As he vanished though Rukia caught a glimpse of Ichigo and found he wore a hollow mask and his eyes were just as black and cold as a hollows. A small tremor of fear went through her as she saw his eyes. She had heard the reports on it and even felt his reiatsu when he was using this but she hadn't witnessed it like this. It frightened her like she was looking at Kaien when he was being controlled by a hollow. Those eyes were just as dark and lifeless as his had been on that fateful night.

Ichigo turned and brought up his guard once more and awaited the next attack. Rukia shook off the bad feeling and picked up her guard once more as she searched for his reiatsu. They sensed it off to the side and turned to face it in time to see him release a cero. Ichigo used shunpo to dodge it and attack him while Rukia stayed there frozen.

At the end of the room Orihime hid behind her shield. If Rukia were to just dodge this she would get hit by it. With the power in this cero it would get through her shield before it even touched it. Her eyes narrowed and she brought up her sword. There was no way she would allow this to get past her. She shifted her sword so it was pointed at the ground and grabbed her wrist with her free hand and said, _"Some no Mai, Tsukishiro."_

Ice formed a circle around her as the cero came within range. The freezing moisture in the air around her along with her reiatsu made contact with the cero making it explode on contact. The blast sent Rukia flying back but at least she had stopped it. She came to a stop and rejoined the fight without hesitation and was soon crossing blades with the espada and once more he watched her with unblinking emotionless eyes. She met his with cold unafraid eyes.

She jumped away from him as Ichigo attacked from the side once more. He turned to block it and before their blades even touched Rukia attacked him once more. Her blade was barely able to pierce his skin and she understood at once why he was so unharmed while Ichigo was near death. If that was the case then she had to make the most of this one wound.

Her blade twisted in his side and she forced it through his being as he continued to block Ichigo's zanpakutou. He glanced over at her and pointed two fingers at her. Rukia's eyes widened with fear as a cero formed right before her face. There was no way of escaping this one and Ichigo couldn't do a thing about it either. She just stood there frozen in fear as her mind only though of one thing; Orihime.

A swirl of small pink objects flew through the espada and there was a moment of confusion for all three of them before blood seemed to burst from his body in every direction. Rukia removed her blade from his torn body as he fell lifelessly to the ground. The pink objects retreated as they watched and found Captain Kuchiki standing at the other end of the room. His zanpakutou reverted to its normal state and he approached them.

Rukia wasted no time and used shunpo to return to Orihime's side. Orihime was in the corner almost terrified at the reiatsu she had felt. As soon as Rukia came to a stop before the frightened girl the shield was dropped and Orihime flung herself at the other to take her in her arms. It was the longest they had ever held each other before and it was the warmest embrace either of them had ever known but as they sensed Ichigo and Byakuya's approach the separated from each other without word.

They didn't care if others found out about them but they both understood that this wasn't the place for these interactions to take place. Rukia went over to meet them with Orihime close behind her. When they got closer Orihime left Rukia's side to heal Ichigo's wounds while she went to report the situation to Byakuya.

"Sir," Rukia started only for her report to be waved off immediately.

"You're fine?" He asked emotionlessly.

"Yes, but-" She was cut off by another wave of his hand.

He brought his attention to Ichigo and said, "Kurosaki, we're leaving."

Ichigo glanced over as Byakuya turned to leave. Orihime stood up in protest and said, "His wounds haven't healed yet."

"It's fine. He isn't of any use." Byakuya said coldly.

As he finished saying that there was a crash and the wall collapsed not far away from them. Three of them looked over with concern of what would happen next while the fourth just glanced over without care. As the dust settled they made out a lone silhouette standing while another scrambled over. The one that was coming over turned out to be Hanataro of Squad 4. "Captain Kuchiki, how could you leave me behind like that? I told you I couldn't use shunpo."

Byakuya looked away from him as the other silhouette made its way out of the dust and rubble. Rukia took a quick glance at her brother and relaxed with his lack of concern for the intrusion. That meant it was another ally and not an enemy. Regardless of what side the other figure was on Rukia watched as it made its way out of the settling dust revealing himself, Captain Zaraki.

"Yo, Ichigo." Zaraki shouted. "You're not getting yourself killed on me before our rematch are ya?"

Rukia glanced over at Ichigo and found the slight annoyance on his face as the last of his wounds finished healing. She couldn't help the slight smile as Orihime returned right to her side and took her hand with hers. Their eyes met for a brief moment and the two shared a warm smile before they looked away from the other. They had wordlessly decided that it would be best to announce their feelings and possible relationship after. Though they confessed that they wanted to be with the other nothing had really been decided on the matter.

As Zaraki made his approached Rukia noticed that he wasn't alone as she had originally thought as his Vice-Captain peered over his shoulder with her big goofy grin. Orihime smiled joyfully at the sight of her and called out, "Hey, Yachiru. It's nice to see you again."

Yachiru waved joyously back to her and leaped off of Zaraki's shoulder and ran over to her as she yelled, "Kenny, look it's big boobs."

There was a slight twitch in Rukia's face. She was well aware of Orihime's bust size but it didn't need to be shouted so joyously to bring more attention to it. Though she was concerned about Ichigo's eyes more then anyone else since he was the only one that would pursue her but he seemed to be looking around the room more then paying any attention to what went on around him.

What he was looking for soon made itself known rather loudly as Nel came running over in full tears as she babbled her concern for him. Orihime watched as the hollow child jumped on Ichigo's arm and clung to him. Surprisingly she wasn't too upset about it which meant that she didn't care much for him anymore and her eyes were more on Rukia then anyone else. That at least made her happy.

She glanced over at Orihime and found she was giving Yachiru more attention then anything else. Rukia smiled warmly as she pictured Orihime with a child of her own to look after. Even if it wouldn't be possible for the two of them to bear a child together it was a warming thought. Her joy didn't last long however as Byakuya walked away with only two words, "We're leaving."

Rukia followed him without question as she sealed and sheathed her zanpakutou with Orihime right beside her. Hanataro shrugged and stumbled to keep up and Ichigo followed silently. Zaraki stood his ground however as he called, "Oi, I came here to fight and I don't plan on just leaving when things haven't even gotten interesting."

"Do what you wish." Byakuya said. "I'm leaving and taking Rukia and the human with me. The others can do what they want. It doesn't concern me."

Zaraki turned his gaze to Ichigo and said, "I thought you were more of a man, Ichigo but your running away with that sissy."

"I came here to save Orihime and that's it." He said. "Seeing as how she's safe I don't have to stay here."

"What bullshit. You didn't just come here for the girl." Zaraki said. "You came for the fight. Just like me you want to experience the joy of a great battle."

Ichigo looked back at him and said, "I'm not interested in any of that."

"Then why do you still have your bankai out?" He said with a laugh. "You want a good fight."

This time Ichigo stopped and turned to face him properly. "I want this to end."

The Captain smiled victoriously as Ichigo went to join him. Hanataro quickly went after them as well saying that they would need someone to keep them alive. Rukia glanced over at Orihime and saw that she wanted to do whatever she could for them. They both walked over as well but before they even got halfway an espada appeared before them.

Orihime gripped Rukia's hand in fear as he placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "I apologize, but I'm borrowing you."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer; I do not own bleach or any of the characters.

Chapter 2

Both Rukia and Orihime had been brought far from the others though it was clear that Rukia's presence was a mistake and only happened because the two had never let go of the other's hand. They were thrown towards a wall and Rukia immediately stood protectively at arms length in front of Orihime. She was ready to give up everything to protect her from harm.

She watched in fear as Aizen stood a few feet away and watched them. He smiled darkly at them as Gin stood beside him with his usual snake like expression. Gin's smile widened as he said, "Miss Kuchiki, how nice of you to join us. It's a shame that this is a private party. No peeking."

Her eyes widened as he appeared in front of her with his arm already halfway through her chest. She hadn't even seen him move at all and already there was nothing more that she could do. He lowered his lips to her ear and said, "I don't like uninvited guests."

She let out one final choked out breath before he threw her across the room while he pulled his arm out of her chest. All she heard was a scream before she hit the ground without life. Orihime had to fend for herself now but she was defenseless against whatever was about to happen to her. Rukia had already lost herself to darkness.

* * *

Ichigo stopped dead in his tracks as he felt Rukia's reiatsu vanish instantly. He grit his teeth in anger and continued at a faster pace as her rushed to her last location. He couldn't let anyone else down. He was already aware of Chad's fall but he also knew that Renji and Uryu had stopped fighting as another soul reaper Captain arrived to take over their fight.

"I can't believe how lucky I am." A voice rang throughout Hueco Mundo. "To think that I had only planned to have the humans come here but now I have four Captains and four Vice-Captains trapped here as well."

Ichigo grit his teeth in anger as he recognized the voice. He had only encountered the man once but he would never forget anything that he saw or heard from him. He was the one behind all of this. He was the reason that Orihime had suffered while he struggled. He was the reason that Rukia had fallen as well. Aizen's voice rang throughout Hueco Mundo as he boasted about his accomplishment.

Ichigo didn't want to hear it anymore he just wanted to get to his friends and finish this once and for all. He hadn't wanted to admit it but he did come here for a fight. He came to battle Aizen and end this war of his before it had a chance to spill out into Karakura more then it already had. He had no doubt in his mind about what he wanted now but one question persisted in his mind, why had Rukia been taken as well?

He was sure he wasn't the only one wondering this as well. He was sure the thought had crossed Byakuya's mind as well though he hasn't said a word since he announced that he was bringing Rukia and Orihime with him. After that had happened he had gone silent. As Aizen finished his little speech Hanataro voiced what had Ichigo so bothered, "I don't understand why Rukia was taken as well. Do you think Aizen has a plan for her?"

Vice-Captain Yachiru looked over at him from Captain Zaraki's shoulder. "She went with big boobs because they were holding hands. Hana didn't notice?"

Ichigo looked over at her almost shocked. He hadn't even noticed anything like that so how could that child have seen anything of that sort. Then he remembered that she had run over to greet Orihime. But then why were those two holding hands? Once again as if thinking the same thing Hanataro asked, "But why were they holding hands?"

Ichigo watched the Vice-Captain carefully waiting for her answer but she just smiled and said, "Maybe they like holding hands?"

"I somehow doubt that, Yachiru." Zaraki said bluntly.

They fell into silence once more as they continued on. Gratefully the two of them hadn't been taken too far away and they were already getting close to them or at least one of them if Rukia's body had been moved. It was unlikely for that to happen but if it did there may be no way of finding her again and they would have lost her for good. Ichigo could only hope that Orihime could do something about Rukia's wounds and that Rukia's body was still there.

"I got it." Yachiru announced loudly. "They like each other in the grown up way."

This time she got even more doubtful looks for her suggestion. But instead of Zaraki denying it Ichigo was the one to crush the idea. "That's not even close to what it would be. Last time I checked they were both into guys."

"They were in guys?" The Vice-Captain laughed. "You're funny, Ichi."

Nel, who had also remained silent for a while and rode silently on Ichigo's shoulder, gave the Vice-Captain an upset look. She wasn't fond of others making fun of Ichigo and wasn't about to let her get off for it either, "Be nice to Itsygo, pinky."

Soon the two began to argue with each other as all but Hanataro ignored them. But as Hanataro tried to stop the arguing he just got picked on by the two children instead. The two were getting along now at least as they came up with names for him. In the end they stuck with 'Hana' however. Most likely because it was feminine and he wasn't all that masculine to begin with.

The four of them ran down the hallway while two hitched a ride on the ones in the lead. They were close now. Orihime was just at the other end of the hallway and hopefully Rukia was too and there was still something that could be done for her. If not then Ichigo would make Aizen pay for his actions. He had already been responsible for two of Rukia's near death experiences and both of Orihime's captures.

They picked up their pace and began to leave Hanataro behind them as he did his best to keep up. No one paid much mind to his begging for them to wait for him. It was best that he wouldn't be spotted when they entered the room. That way they could draw attention away from the door and he could sneak in and help Rukia if he could.

It was only a moment before Ichigo kicked down the door and glared at the only moving figure in the room. The espada that was in there was already smiling when the door was kicked down but when he laid his blue eyes on Ichigo his smile just widened and he turned to face him properly. He pulled Orihime to her feet by the hair and it was already made clear of the abuse made to her. "You come for her or the other one."

He motioned to the side and Ichigo glanced over to find Rukia's body lying in a pool of blood. Ichigo narrowed his eyes but didn't dare make a move until Orihime was away from him. "Let her go, Grimmjow. This is between us."

"I'm well aware of that, Kurosaki. But this was just too good to pass up." With that he threw Orihime at the closest wall.

As she hit it she pressed her body against it in fear of what would happen to her next but with the clash of steel behind her it was clear that Ichigo had taken Grimmjow on the first chance he got. Regardless of the fight taking place right behind her she didn't move until she felt something pulling at her sleeve. Orihime glanced over and found Yachiru beside her with a smile. Orihime smiled weakly in return before she was being lead away from the fight and around the room to Rukia's side.

When they got there Orihime immediately raised her inner shield. She soon noticed Byakuya standing close to them as well. It was strange to see him standing there doing nothing while Ichigo and Zaraki fought Grimmjow. Yachiru skipped over to him and began tugging on is sleeve saying, "I want it, I want it. You promised."

Orihime gave them a confused look as Byakuya reached for something in his robe and gave it to her. She smiled happily at the small pouch she was handed and sat down to watch the battle not even half the room away. It was soon evident that she had been bribed with candy to bring Orihime to Rukia's side to heal her. Orihime smiled warmly at him as she brought up her other shield to protect them from harm.

Byakuya stepped away from it immediately and said, "It's in the way. Just do your job."

Orihime nodded and put all her concentration back on Rukia. She had almost faded completely. If everyone had shown up just a moment later it would have been too late to do anything about it. She smiled sadly down at Rukia as she took her hand again. Their hands touched for only a moment before they were away from each other.

If they weren't holding hands before then this wouldn't have happened to Rukia at all. Orihime was happy that she had been brought along at first because she wouldn't be as afraid if they were together but then Rukia had gotten hurt and almost died because they were holding hands when the other espada had come to take her away. But no more after this, there would be no more interactions between them if it increased the chances of Rukia getting hurt like this again.

The thought saddened her since they had finally made their feelings known to the other. But she would rather have the sadness of knowing and not doing anything then the pain of loosing the person you touched. Her vision blurred with tears as she knew they could never be together like this. As much as they wanted it there was no way it could work like this.

Tears rolled freely down Orihime's cheeks as her heart broke inside her. She wanted to be with Rukia so much but it could never happen if it would put her in danger. Something gently grazed her face and wiped away her tears. "Please… don't cry... Orihime."

Rukia sounded so weak right now. Her voice was even weaker now then it was when she had come to her room earlier. It hadn't even been an hour ago and this was the second time she had been badly injured. Orihime moved out of Rukia's reach even though it caused her so much pain to do so. She could practically feel Rukia's heart breaking within her. "What happened?"

Orihime looked away from her and did her best to wipe away her tears but soon found that Rukia wasn't talking about the tears in her eyes. Her face had been cut up and bruised by the espada that had been watching her. Parts of her face were even beginning to swell. Just grazing the swelling sent tiny pin pricks of pain throughout her face.

She noticed the other soul reaper that had come along with Zaraki as he ran across the room over to them. He knelt down next to Orihime and immediately brought up his own kidou to heal her wounds. "Just relax."

She smiled warmly as she brought her attention to the fight once more. She could still tell how much her neglect was hurting Rukia but she couldn't put her in anymore danger. This was all the pain she could inflict on her and even doing this tore her up inside. Orihime didn't want to hurt Rukia anymore. Her eyes widened with fear as her inner shield returned to her hairpin. Rukia still hadn't healed completely.

Orihime tore her gaze from the fight back to Rukia as she struggled to her feet. Orihime left the kidou that was healing her wounds to bring Rukia back to the grounds. With Rukia's wounds it wasn't hard to get her back down. Both their hearts broke as they saw the pain in the others eyes. Tears dripped from Orihime's eyes onto Rukia's face. "Just lie down and let me heal your wounds."

Rukia nodded weakly and Orihime released her and brought up her inner shield once more. This time their eyes didn't leave each other as they smiled weakly at each other. Orihime faintly noticed the kidou come up at her face once more as her wounds finished healing.

Ichigo swung his sword full force at Grimmjow but he blocked it with ease as he stopped Zaraki's blade with his bare hand. The crossed blades shook with the wielders anger as their eyes never left the other. "You're still holding back, Kurosaki."

Grimmjow pulled the Captain's sword closer and tossed him to the side with ease before throwing Ichigo through a wall not far behind him. He waited only a moment before following him out as well while Zaraki jumped through the hole not long after. Yachiru ran after him in high spirits as she cheered him on the whole way.

Ichigo kept being pushed back until he was thrown out of the building itself. He caught his balance as Grimmjow attacked him once more and forced him all the way to the ground where he landed with a cloud of dust and dirt. As Ichigo jumped away from Grimmjow the Captain came down on him with his own attack. With the force of gravity intertwined with the attack it managed to go through and cut him from his shoulder down to his waist before Grimmjow was able to escape it.

Ichigo was panting heavily as he lunged at Grimmjow once more to attack him again. He was still exhausted from his last battle with Ulquiorra that he had barely survived. His wounds had been fully healed but it did nothing for his energy. Their blades locked once more and their reiatsu battled around them as well. "If you don't stop holding back soon you're gonna die, Kurosaki."

Grimmjow forced Ichigo back once more and lunged at him again to avoid Zaraki's attack. Ichigo couldn't get his guard up in time to stop it and the sword pierced his shoulder and ran through. He seized the opportunity to thrust his own blade through Grimmjow's chest. Ichigo winced as the blade ripped through his shoulder. He pulled his blade out and jumped back knowing he couldn't do this without using his hollowfication.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes as Grimmjow dodged another of Zaraki's attacks and he allowed his mask to form. He lunged at Grimmjow once more with a greater speed and hit him with more strength then he normally would have had on his own. Grimmjow didn't have time to react this time and got hit by the attack but even still he grinned, "It's about damned time."

He jumped away from both Ichigo and Captain. He held his sword at the starting position of a low swing and the blade began to glow as he put his free hand on the blade forcing his opponents to pick up their guard. In a swift motion he scraped his hand along the length of the blade and called out, _"Kishire."_

A violent flow of reiatsu spiraled and caused massive gusts of wind all around them as Rukia and the others watched from the building above. Orihime's shield had gone up automatically and she gripped Rukia's arm in fear of what they witnessed far below them. There was no telling what would happen next but one thing was for sure, Ichigo was in no condition for this battle.

Rukia shifted nervously as she knew she should be down there fighting along side Ichigo and just standing here as a spectator was the equivalent of abandoning him but Captain Zaraki was also down there fighting. So if she did go down there she would not only be in the way but abandoning Orihime as well. Rukia knew that her brother wouldn't intervene with this fight and would remain here so Orihime would be safe here without her but she still couldn't leave the girls side.

As the reiatsu started to settle they found that Grimmjow had changed in appearance and undoubtedly strength and speed, considering the feline-like look he now held. He grinned almost sadistically showing how jagged his teeth have become. Blades protruded from his forearms and calves making him much more dangerous to go up against considering his speed before. But now it had likely increased along with his strength.

Grimmjow glared at both Ichigo and Zaraki as they all waited for someone to make the first move. It wasn't long before Zaraki charged at him without thought or consideration to any changes or difference in skill. Before he even came close to attacking he was struck and went flying back by a move that neither he nor Ichigo saw, though he did see that attack that struck him and sent him even further then the first strike had sent the Captain.

Ichigo went flying back and crashed through a giant pillar. He hit the next one and fell to the ground panting in his exhaustion. This wouldn't go well with him like this but Grimmjow was too stubborn with his hatred and was already pulling him up by the hair. When he was back on his feet Grimmjow punched him in the stomach over and over again without pause.

With each hit he coughed up blood and lost more and more control of his hollowfication and the more malicious Grimmjow's smile became. Soon it would be over for him but he still held his resolve to win even with his huge disadvantage now. He could sense Zaraki's fast approach and no doubt Grimmjow had sensed it too since his punches had increased dramatically in force.

Grimmjow quickly seemed to get bored and threw Ichigo aside to fight the Captain next. Ichigo hit the ground and did his best to push himself up. He coughed violently as he tried to catch his breath. Blood dripped thought the teeth of his mask and created a small pool that was quickly absorbed into the sand. Pieces of his mask started to crumble away as it started to crack. He forced himself to his feet and went back to attack Grimmjow once more.

As he got closer he noticed that Zaraki wasn't bothering much to block any of the attacks and was getting pretty cut up. The whole time he had his masochistic smile on his face as he enjoyed every minute of the fight. Blood sprayed from his wounds as Ichigo approached him to attack but as he got closer to them one of the blades on Grimmjow's arm cut through a strap of Captain Zaraki's eye patch.

The Captain's reiatsu exploded around him making Grimmjow jump back as Ichigo attacked him. His blade punctured his skin but didn't cut deep enough for it to be of any lasting effect. It didn't matter much as Zaraki's blade broke through Grimmjow's defense and cut him deeply. As the blade left he was met immediately with Ichigo's blade once more. He used the deep cut to initiate his own that stretched vertically across Grimmjow's body.

He winced as he jumped back to avoid an onslaught from Zaraki as he laughed almost manically at the wounds he was getting as well as causing. Ichigo stood back recognizing the insanity of the Captain and knew better then to get involved while he was like this. Allowing Zaraki to act like a maniac was a good way to take a breather and calm his nerves for a moment.

A few minutes into the onslaught it was clear the battle was already almost over as wounds covered a majority of their body and blood sprayed from their wounds with every movement they made. Ichigo watched them knowing that to reenter the fight now would be suicide and he could be cut down by either one of them. Whether it was from Grimmjow's hatred towards him or just getting in the Captain's way either one was likely if you considered the insanity those two held.

Both swung relentlessly at the other without pause and each got closer to their death. The smile on the Captain's face widened as he received a near fatal wound. When the two separated from each other he burst out laughing, "And here I thought you were going to be boring. You're more fun than I thought you would be."

Grimmjow spat at the ground before lunging at him once more as he yelled, "Don't underestimate me! I am the king!"

The Captain gave him an unconcerned look as he blocked the attack with ease and threw Grimmjow off balance. It was over in an instant as the Captain cut right through him. He fell to the ground as he returned to his normal form. He choked for air as Zaraki rested his blade on his shoulder and turned to walk away. "I don't care much for those who think too highly of themselves."

Ichigo allowed his mask to disappear and his zanpakutou to revert to its normal form as the Captain walked over to him. They met eyes for a moment before he looked away and said, "Go get that woman."

The dust and reiatsu had settled but all three were still alive. Orihime hesitantly removed herself from Rukia's arm. They met eyes for a brief moment where they shared a smile before Orihime looked away. Rukia's smile faded painfully at the distance between them now. She didn't understand what had happened when she was unconscious that would make Orihime so distant from her.

She wanted to take the girls hand once more but feared her pulling away again. When she had tried to wipe away her tears and she had pulled away it was more painful then anything she had ever experienced before. It was as if everything she felt and was were being not only rejected but crushed by the very person that meant so much to her. The feeling was unbearable for her and she would do anything to rid herself of this neglect.

Rukia let out a faint sigh as Ichigo appeared before them. She didn't want to look over at him as Orihime hurried over to his side. "Zaraki's pretty bad."

"Kenny's fine, Ichi." Yachiru said as she hoped off the building to go join him.

Ichigo soon followed after her with Orihime as Rukia's chest tightened even more. She grabbed Hanataro to bring him down there as well as Nel jumped on her arm as well. "Nel wants to go too."

"Nel, I can't carry both of you at once." Rukia said quietly. "Stay here and I'll come back to get you alright?"

She barely paid any attention as Nel got off her arm before she brought Hanataro close to where everyone else was. She sensed her brother join them as well. There was still a bit of a distance between them and the others making Hanataro give her a strange look. "Rukia, is every-"

"You can make it on your own from here right?" She asked.

"Yeah, but why-" He started but Rukia took off before he could finish.

He stood there quietly for a moment as he tried to figure out why she had that hurt expression on her face. Rukia looked almost lost about something like something really bad had happened. Hanataro figured that it had most likely happened after she had been taken with Orihime. With that conclusion he hurried to Ichigo and the others to do what he came here for.

It didn't take long before he made it to them and started healing Ichigo's wounds. He looked at Hanataro blankly before looking around. "Hey, Hanataro where's Rukia?"

"She went back to get that little girl that was with you." Hanataro answered. "She should be here soon."

"I see," Ichigo replied as he tracked her reiatsu and found it was somehow off now like something had gone wrong. He turned his gaze back to Orihime and found that she seemed distracted as well. He let out a long sigh, "So that's it."

"Did you say something?" Hanataro asked as he looked up at him.

"No, it's nothing." Ichigo said slowly as he continued to watch Orihime. "Don't worry about it."

Rukia returned to where she left Nel and she immediately tried to get a ride but was quickly denied. Rukia walked to the wall and leaned on it as she clutched her chest a little. Her heart was breaking under Orihime's neglect and causing her pain. Her breathing was choked as she tried to banish her sob and Nel watched her in silence. "I just need a minute to relax then we'll go."

"Nel thinks Pinky was right." Nel said as she looked up at Rukia.

"Pinky?" Rukia questioned as she pondered the child's logic.

"Spiky's friend." She replied with a smile as she made an odd up and down motion above her head.

"You mean Vice-Captain Yachiru." Rukia said only to find that was useless to the child. "She's the one with pink hair."

"Yeah, Pinky." Nel laughed. "She said you and big boobs like each other in a grown up way."

A slight blush formed on Rukia's face as she looked down at Nel who continued to look up at her with a blank expression. Her head tilted a little as she asked, "What's the grown up way?"

The blush on Rukia's face worsened as she tried to find the best way to explain it to a child that couldn't even speak properly. She thought about it for a moment before figuring the best way to descried it was to be as subtle as possible, "Well it's when you have a really close bond with another person and you always want to be with them."

"OOOOOHHH!" She said loudly. "I like Itsygo in the grown up way then."

"No, that's not quite it." Rukia said. "It's more of when two people are in a relationship with each other."

"What's a relationship?" Nel asked immediately.

"It's not something someone of your age should know." Rukia said wanting to avoid anymore questions.

Nel crossed her arms and pouted up at her. "Why won't you tell Nel?"

"I won't tell you because we shouldn't even be having this conversation." Rukia said bluntly.

"If we shouldn't then why are we still here?" Nel asked as she pouted even more.

Rukia let out a sigh, "I just wanted to have a moment of silence to organize my thoughts. Come on, let's go."

She offered her hand and Nel took it quickly. She was lifted up and held close to Rukia's body before they left. They travelled slowly as Rukia was more anxious to face her death then Orihime. They came to a stop even further away from the others then she had brought Hanataro. Rukia carried Nel in her arms as she walked over to them at a slow pace. With each step her heart broke even more. How could Orihime just change her mind about them like that? It didn't make any sense at all.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer; I do not own bleach or any of the characters.

Chapter 3

Rukia approached Ichigo and the others at a slow pace but as they came into view she picked up her pace and allowed Nel to jump out of her arms so she could run to Ichigo and cling to him. As Nel went to Ichigo's side Rukia walked over to Captain Kuchiki's side. She walked in silence while Nel was obnoxiously loud making her glance over and find Ichigo was watching her.

She avoided his eyes and continued to her brother's side in silence. When she got there he gave her a quick glance and asked, "What took you so long?"

"There were a few things on my mind that I had to work out so it wouldn't be a burden to me." Rukia replied. "I didn't want to be distracted in battle."

"Don't concern yourself with such nonsense at times like this." He said sternly.

"I know," Rukia said immediately. "I just thought it best to sort things out when I had a chance."

He nodded and said nothing more on the matter. Rukia fell silent as well and didn't look over at the others. She had steeled her resolve on the long walk here and decided it would be best to just forget any attachment she held towards Orihime, since she clearly didn't want anything like that and it had all just been a spur of the moment fling for her.

Coming to this conclusion had been very painful but it was necessary for her to survive this. But with Soul Society's intervention and presence things should go a lot more smoothly until they confronted Aizen. Byakuya glanced over at the others and announced, "We're leaving."

He didn't wait for a response before he walked away with Rukia following close behind him without word. She sensed the others follow as well and found a few of them were uncomfortable with the situation but didn't dare show any concern for them. They continued on in silence as the group went towards the other Captains that had arrived in Hueco Mundo to offer their support.

As they walked on Rukia could still feel her heart breaking even as she tried desperately to banish all her attachments. Each minute was filled with a splitting pain in her chest. She began to wonder if it was caused by her wound and if Gin had done more to her then she was aware of or if it had simply not healed properly. There was a heavy copper taste in her mouth as well that wouldn't go away as it began to make her feel sick.

Rukia coughed into her hand as the taste became too much for her to handle. Her coughing didn't last long but as she moved her hand away from her face her eyes widened with fear as she found blood on the palm of her hand. She quickly closed her hand and hid it from view of the others as she felt a set of worried eyes on her. Hanataro hurried to her side as she quickly tried to hide her unease.

"Are you alright, Rukia?" He asked.

"I'm fine, don't concern yourself over nothing." She said coldly.

"Captain Kuchiki, I think we should take a break." Hanataro said quickly. "Rukia doesn't look so good right now."

He glanced over his shoulder at her but didn't say a word or stop. Rukia didn't want anymore attention on her right now so she quickly said, "I'm fine, just a little tired but I can continue."

Byakuya continued on without hesitation and Hanataro only became more concerned. Rukia was very pale and looked like she was about ready to collapse. It didn't just look like it either she felt as though her legs could give out at any moment. Another cough surfaced but was more violent then before and she could feel blood drip from her mouth and through her fingers.

As soon as Hanataro saw the blood dripping from her mouth and fingers he immediately forced her to stop. Rukia tried to push him off but soon fell to the ground in a full coughing fit. Her eyes blurred with tears as Hanataro rubbed her back as he crouched beside her. While he tried to calm her cough he was trying to find anything wrong with her body that would cause this.

His eyes widened when he found something off inside her. As much as he strained his senses he couldn't figure out what it was and continued to try and figure it out as he rubbed her back. Rukia's cough was only getting worse as whatever was inside her burrowed deeper inside her. Hanataro reached into his pouch and pulled out a small dull grey circular pill. He held it in front of Rukia and said, "Take this, it will help."

Rukia just shook her head and continued coughing as more blood pooled underneath her. Hanataro pulled her hand away from her face and forced it into her mouth and held it closed. "Calm down and try to swallow it."

Orihime hurried to Rukia's side as well and began to rub her back for Hanataro since he was busy trying to get her to swallow the pill. Eventually it went down and Rukia's body went limp as she lost consciousness. No time was wasted as Hanataro turned her over so she was on her back and brought her hand to the center of her chest.

Now that she was calm it had stopped its movement and he had more time to come up with a course of action that he should take. But in the meantime what was it doing to her? He looked over at Ichigo and said, "Ichigo, go find Captain Unohana and bring her here. She'll know what to do more then me. I'll buy you as much time as I can."

Ichigo looked at him blankly for a second before saying, "I didn't know she was here too."

"Useless," Byakuya said before taking his leave.

Hanataro returned all his focus back to Rukia. He closed his eyes and did his best to focus on this foreign presence inside her. Orihime watched him carefully as she waited for answers on Rukia's weariness. But none would come to her until Hanataro himself knew what was going on with her but all he knew was that something was inside her that shouldn't be and any movement made it bore deeper inside her and the coughing had only made it worse.

"Hanataro," Ichigo called. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, Ichigo." Hanataro replied. "But something is inside her that gets deeper the more she moves. I don't know what I can do for her right now, I'm sorry."

"Just do what you can." He said.

"We have company." Zaraki said as he unsheathed his sword. "Stay out of my way this time, Ichigo."

Ichigo nodded and got closer to the others while he unsheathed his zanpakutou. He stood only a few feet away from Hanataro as Zaraki went to meet the approaching arrancar. Yachiru still clung to his shoulder with a goofy smile on her face as he moved out of sight behind a pile of debris which had once been a pillar but was destroyed when Ichigo had been thrown through it. It wasn't long after that there was a slight explosion of reiatsu as the battle began.

Only a moment after that Captain Kuchiki arrived with Captain Unohana and Vice-Captain Isane. The two Squad 4 members went to Rukia's side immediately as Hanataro moved aside and stated the scenario for them. Unohana knelt beside Rukia and placed her hand on Rukia's chest for a moment before saying, "I see."

"Can you do anything?" Orihime asked in panic.

Her hand gripped Rukia's tightly although it was limp and lifeless she knew Rukia was still alive even if she wasn't breathing. Tears quickly formed in her eyes before she realized that Rukia would hate to see her crying when she opened her eyes so all tears were banished in an instant. She watched carefully as Unohana's hand began to glow before it sank into Rukia's chest while she held up her sleeve with her free hand.

Rukia showed intense discomfort with this action even in her state of deep unconsciousness. Unohana's hand lingered inside of Rukia for only a moment before she retrieved it along with the object that was hurting her. She examined it for a moment before handing it to Orihime as she asked, "Do you recognize this at all?"

Orihime examined it very carefully. It was a gold piece of metal that was sharp enough to cause minor damage on it's own but if it were moved around enough it could cause more then just minor damage. She hadn't seen anything like this before and doubted that Gin had anything to do with it. Her eyes widened as she recalled how Rukia had arrived at her room and the discomfort she held since that time.

"This didn't get in her when she was with me." Orihime said sadly as tears made their way down her cheeks against her will. "It must have happened before."

Her grip on Rukia's hand tightened as she realized just how bad she had been when she first arrived at her room. Orihime hadn't sensed a thing when she was healing her wounds. Each time she had done it there was nothing wrong. But then it may not have happened until recently when she had taken so long to return with the hollow child. Though she didn't even seem injured at all and nothing seemed to be wrong until recently.

"She just needs to rest now and she'll be fine." Unohana said in a mothering tone as she stood up.

She walked over to Ichigo and the two of them started a slight conversation before he nodded and glanced back to Orihime and went over to them. "Orihime, I'm going back to the human world with Unohana to fight Aizen. Stay here and do what you can for everyone."

"Of course," Orihime agreed at once. She wasn't fond of being left out of this but she had to be here for Rukia more then anything else. Even with her fear of hurting her she had to be here for her when she woke up. The last thing Orihime wanted was to have Rukia wake up and she wasn't there for her.

She absentmindedly watched Ichigo leave with Captain Unohana as the hollow child cried and tried to go with him. Orihime gripped the gold piece of metal in her hand. When they were out of sight she looked at the piece of metal again. Just what had happened to Rukia that got her so hurt in the first place? What espada had she fought and what had it done to her?

Orihime used her sleeve to wipe away the last of her tears before she brought her attention back to Rukia and found she looked a great deal more comfortable then she had before. A warm smile graced her lips at Rukia's peaceful sleeping face. She wanted to see more of it but under better circumstances then she was in now. "She's doing better."

Orihime glanced up to find Isane standing beside her watching her with concern. She smiled up at the Vice-Captain but didn't voice her worries or thoughts. Her feelings still had to be kept to herself. Even Rukia had to be safe from them until this was over. When this was over she'd have to apologize properly for her actions. There was no doubt in her mind that her neglect was hurting Rukia but she just wanted to keep her safe from harm. But that's that same thing that Rukia wanted for Orihime and she would still give her life for her.

The sob in her throat slowly began to die down as she watched Rukia resting peacefully. How much longer would all of this go on? All Orihime wanted was to go home with everyone and spend some time with her friends and have some quality time with Rukia, if she would still allow it. She let out a quiet sigh as she imagined what it would be like when they were together.

Steel clashed together not too far away from the others as Captain Zaraki fought an espada of high rank and strength. He was much stronger then the last one though his rank wasn't much higher. His rank was tattooed on his tongue. This espada was the fifth of the ten. His weapon was a long scythe with a curved blade that looked like two back to back crescent moons.

Zaraki was already cut up pretty bad while the espada was protected by the long reach of his weapon. Regardless he was still wounded as well. The two smiled maliciously as they continued and their battle intensified. They both held back to get the most out of the battle as it raged on.

Their blades met once more but closer then before as they were right in front of the other. Their smiles widened as they shifted their weapons and sliced through each other once more before they jumped away. As soon as they came to a stop they lunged at each other once more without hesitation or concern for their own safety. But then both of them were far from sane and cared little for their own safety.

Their blade's clashed relentlessly with no sign of pause or hesitation. There was no tire between them as they continued joyously. Wounds spread across their body and blood sprayed from every wound with all major movements they made. With the way they lashed out at each other all movements made were major and resulted in blood loss.

The surrounding area was becoming soaked with their blood and small shreds of their clothing. The Captain's upper robes were almost completely destroyed while the espada's clothes were still well intact though they were no longer white as blood seeped into the material staining it a deep maroon.

The reiatsu that clashed around the battle not to far away frightened Orihime. As it grew ever more violent and blood thirsty she could sense the growing danger come closer to her. Their reiatsu materialized and threw debris in every direction. Her shield went up to protect them as Isane placed a hand on her zanpakutou instinctively. Hanataro just crouched cowardly behind the shield while the hollow sat unmoving while trying to quiet her sob from Ichigo's departure not long ago.

Orihime tried to keep her focus away from the fighting and on Rukia as she began to look uncomfortable again. There was not much she could do for her now and it tore the girl up inside. She cared so much for Rukia that she couldn't stand being so helpless to her needs and even her feelings at the moment but they couldn't afford it right now and they both knew it but even still the neglect hurt them.

She closed her eyes to fight off her fears as there was another explosion of reiatsu. This time it was closer than before and sent even more debris their way. Rocks smashed against the shield cracking it in various locations. She used her reiatsu to reinforce her shield as much as she could to protect them but she was focused on protecting Rukia more then anything as she was the most vulnerable.

As the dust began to settle in the distance Orihime turned her attention to the reiatsu as the fighting seemed to have stopped for now but they were both alive. They must be discussing something or taking a breather. But Orihime knew very well that a talk was the least likely thing to be happening right now but a breather was far below talking. She watched sadly as the reiatsu picked up again and they began their fight once more.

Rukia slowly opened her eyes to find Orihime sitting by her side and grasping her hand in silence. A smile graced her lips for a moment before she realized what Orihime's focus was on. There were two very powerful reiatsu flaring not far away as the owners of it fought violently to the death. She didn't even have to focus on the reiatsu to tell how much bloodlust there was as it was thick in the air and made it difficult to breathe.

She watched Orihime sadly for a moment before placing her free hand on her cheek to distract her from the violence. This innocent girl should not have to experience this much violence. As her hand touched the girl's cheek she glanced down immediately and tears formed in her eyes only to be wiped away immediately and replaced with a warm loving smile.

Rukia smiled lovingly back at her and brought some tears back to the girl. She smile widened a little as she gently said, "I'm alright now. Thank you for your concern."

Orihime nodded as more tears fell from her eyes. This time she didn't have to wipe them away as Rukia sat up and did it for her. It was only a moment after her tears were wiped away before their lips met and they shared their first public kiss. They separated with smiles that didn't fit the current scenario around them but it didn't matter. All that mattered was what they felt for the other.

A slight laugh made them glance over at Isane, who had caught them in the act. Orihime burned with a blush while Rukia was unfazed by the exposure. It didn't matter to her who knew about them. Orihime, on the other hand was wavering in her unease at the attention. Though, it seemed that Isane was the only witness to their intimacy and cared little for it as her eyes wandered back to the battle. Hanataro was still cowering in fear while Byakuya was away from the shield with his weapon drawn and pieces of rubble around him.

Rukia met Orihime's eyes once more as she offered her own slight laugh but nothing more then that with the ongoing battle and her brother's close presence. While she was fine with others knowing about her feelings for Orihime he was one person that should not know about it until the time was right. If he found out about it now the two would be separated until everything was over then even still it may be difficult for them to be together.

Orihime smiled warmly and leaned forward to meet Rukia's lips once more with a bit of courage. Their lips lingered against one another for awhile before there was another explosion of reiatsu not far away. They broke the kiss and Orihime brought her body closer to Rukia's in fear. Rukia wrapped an arm around her protectively.

She knew it wasn't like Orihime to be frightened this easily but considering what she had already seen and been through in only a few hours it was an understandable fear and with the thickness of this bloodlust it must terrify her good natured soul. She was too compassionate to cope with this amount of insanity. Rukia held Orihime as protectively as she could while her free hand rested on her zanpakutou.

Rukia intended to protect Orihime until her dying breath if it were necessary even if it would terrify the girl even more she would not allow her to be harmed again. She hadn't been there to protect her properly after Gin had attacked her and she would not allow that to happen again. She slowly got to her feet as Orihime followed her up as well. It was difficult to stand and she needed to use her zanpakutou to support her weight so she wouldn't have to rely on Orihime.

She glanced down at Hanataro, who still cowered beside Nel, "Hanataro, if something happens I need you to take care of Nel."

Both of them looked up at her and Nel clung to Rukia's leg in a fit, "Don't leave Nel too. Nel doesn't want to lose you too."

Rukia smiled kindly down at her and bent down to place a hand on her head and say, "I'm not going anywhere right now. I'm just being cautious."

Nel nodded up at her with a sob as she straightened up and Orihime grabbed her arm once more. The battle was getting worse and the explosions of reiatsu were becoming more frequent. Her eyes widened as another blast sent debris flying their way. She instantly determined that Orihime's shield wouldn't be enough for this right now. Not with her current fear so strong.

She got Orihime and Nel off of her before jumping over the shield and unsheathing her zanpakutou at the right moment to use the momentum of that process to slice through the first piece of debris. She dropped the sheath and brought all of her focus onto the oncoming debris. Her kidou was used to destroy the larger pieces while the smaller pieces she dealt with using her zanpakutou.

As the last of it was destroyed she allowed herself to sink to the ground and await any other threat that would come. The more debris that came flying at them the more Rukia pushed herself knowing full well that the others were aware of her exhaustion but none of them tried to stop her from doing anything. She had already determined that Hanataro and Orihime were too frightened to really do anything but watch and Isane would step in when necessary as well as Byakuya.

There was an even bigger explosion of reiatsu that blew Rukia back a little and forced her to shield her face with her arm. When she glanced back she saw a piece of debris that she couldn't destroy coming at her. It was a part of a column that had been destroyed in the previous battle by Grimmjow. Her eyes widened with fear as it got closer to her and the others behind her.

She was frozen on the spot but her fear only worsened as she felt a small foot land on her shoulder before she got a slight glance of torn green robe go by her face as Nel jumped of her shoulder. Nel fell about halfway to the ground before unleashing a cero that not only destroyed the giant piece of debris but shot Nel back from the sheer power of the cero. She hit Rukia in the stomach making her fly back into Orihime's shield.

She hit it hard and slid to the ground as the remainder of the debris did the same. Rukia was wincing in pain as Nel looked up at her with a big goofy smile as she happily said, "Nel did good."

"Yeah," Rukia breathed her agreement as she placed a hand on the child's head. "Nel did very good, thank you."

Nel got off of Rukia and ran a few feet away to retrieve the sheath for her zanpakutou before bringing it back with an even bigger smile then before. Rukia smiled faintly in response before she sensed the others approach. It wasn't long before Renji and Uryu had positioned themselves a few feet away from where Rukia rested and were ready to protect everyone from any oncoming danger.

Renji glanced back at her a little, "Are you alright, Rukia? It looks like you had it pretty rough."

Rukia offered a slight smile, "Like you're one to talk. You look like crap, Renji."

"I was outnumbered." He defended.

"I fought an espada that portrayed himself as Kaien and I did it in complete darkness." Rukia countered. "Then Gin killed me."

Renji glanced back with wide eyes before they narrowed with a deep hatred as he returned his gaze elsewhere, "Bastards."

Rukia felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced over to find Isane crouched beside her giving her a sympathetic look. No questions were needed to portray her concern. Rukia simply offered a weak smile and said, "I'm fine, just really tired."

Her hand remained on her shoulder as she brought up her kidou to heal her. There were no injuries other then a few forming bruises from rocks that had hit her and a few scratches here and there from sharper rocks. The one advantage that kidou healing had over Orihime's healing ability is that it also restored reiatsu which was the only reason she was being treated right now.

Rukia had no energy left and hadn't had any for hours but she had continued to push herself. It had taken everything she had to get to Orihime and since then she had been pushing herself well past her limits. She had gone so far past her limit now there was no way to even deny it let alone keep it hidden. Any strength that had returned to her in her breather had been used up when she was destroying the debris.

Isane continued her kidou until she was straining herself as well to give Rukia as much reiatsu as she could but it would do nothing for her energy. Hanataro came out from behind the shield as Isane broke her kidou and applied his own for an extra boost. He couldn't give her as much as Isane had but it was enough.

When he broke his kidou he began searching through his pouch and pulled out a round pill and handed it to her and said, "It will restore your energy."

Rukia smiled gratefully as she took it and Isane placed a hand on Hanataro's shoulder, "Good thinking."

He smiled with a bit of pride before getting up to help Rukia to her feet. As she was let go she fell back onto the shield as the pill hadn't taken its full effect yet and she still needed help to stand as she couldn't yet do that on her own. Slowly she began to feel the energy fill her body as Nel started tugging at her robes.

She looked down to find the concern in her eyes, "Is Rukia better now?"

Rukia smiled warmly down at Nel and replied, "Yes, I'm fine now."

"Nel's happy." She said with a wide smile.

Rukia returned her attention to the battle that seemed to have gotten closer again despite the fact that Zaraki was winning now. It shouldn't be too much longer before it ended and he returned to the group all torn up and on the verge of death once more. Why he liked to fight like a maniac was clearly beyond reason but then, so was he.

As the energy pill took its full effect Rukia got off the shield and stood on her own but her guard was lessened since both Renji and Uryu had ranged attacks and could deflect or destroy any debris before it got anywhere close to them. Nel still clung tightly to Rukia's robes as Orihime dropped her shield and walked over to them.

Orihime quickly took Rukia's hand in her own and they shared a warm and loving smile before glancing back at the reiatsu that danced freely in the short distance away. It was clear that they had fallen back to their final attacks and there would only be one survivor walking back.

Captain Zaraki's zanpakutou went through the espada's flesh with ease and cut off two of the arms that he had grown in his released state. He had already learned that they could regenerate at any given moment the espada wished it to be done and he had also learned that the espada could summon his weapons at will and have an unlimited supply so every one of his hands would be armed.

The two separated from each other for a moment before going at it again. The Captain swung at the espada using both his hand to wield his zanpakutou giving him an unmatched source of power. He hated using this technique as it lowered his chances of enjoying a battle such as this. But he was having more fun now then he had when he fought Ichigo and that was the first time he had been harmed in battle in a very long time.

They slashed and cut the other without pause as the espada was forced to retreat. His smile had still not left his face while the Captain was the same. They enjoyed every minute of this battle and hated that it was coming to its conclusion. The Captain had already made it his duty to cut as much of the espada's body before he fell so he could ravish this fight until the very end.

He did what he wanted with ease and the espada did the same to him with great pleasure. Their breathing was heavy and caused each a pleasurable amount of pain just to move their body. They each swung at each other, Zaraki with two arms and the espada with four, with as much strength as they had left in them.

They stood at a stalemate with each weapon touching the ground at the bottom of their swings. Blood slowly dripped from the new wounds before opening enough for it to spray out violently. The espada fell to the ground in two while the Captain remained standing for only a moment before he too fell to the ground. He had won but at a price that he would gladly pay again and again against an opponent like this. The scene around them had been painted with their blood and the blood of the arrancar that tried to aid the espada in his fight only to be cut down instantly by both sides.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer; I do not own bleach or any of the characters.

Chapter 4

The battle had ended and both had fallen but one had remained the victor even as he fell. Orihime gripped Rukia's hand in fear of travelling to the scene of the battle and finding what was there. Rukia tightened her grip on the girl's hand to give her the courage to face what was on the other side of the rubble. Tears were on the verge of falling from Orihime's eyes as she feared what she would find as they walked to the scene of the battle.

But before they even got close Captain Zaraki appeared in front of them and was being carried over on Vice-Captain Yachiru's shoulder. She laid him down and Orihime immediately went to his side leaving Rukia behind. Vice-Captain Isane and Hanataro followed closely behind her. Orihime's inner shield went up immediately while Isane and Hanataro did everything they could as well.

Nel clung to Rukia's leg still as she watched as others try to help Captain Zaraki. Renji made his way over to Rukia and asked, "Where's Ichigo?"

"I don't know." Rukia replied. "He was gone when I woke up."

"Itsygo went to fight Aizen in the human world." Nel said.

"Good," Renji said with a sense of relief. "Now we have a better chance against him."

"Yeah," Rukia agreed as she brought her attention to Orihime.

Her expression held so much pain and sorrow as she healed the Captain's wounds. She must sense the bloodlust in them. Rukia wanted to go to her side and reassure her but Uryu went over and placed his hand on her shoulder. He bent down and offered his comfort to her and she smiled over at him gratefully. He smiled warmly at her before he started speaking.

His words were too quiet for Rukia to hear but as Orihime's facial expression became nervous a bad feeling went through Rukia's body. She watched with unease as two more reiatsu made their approach at an almost alarming rate. Rukia placed her hand on the hilt of her sword as she tried to determine whether or not she had enough strength for whatever was coming.

She shook Nel off her leg and faced the direction they were coming from. She waited patiently as she noticed Renji do the same beside her. He already had his shikai resting on his shoulder as he waited for them to arrive. When they did they stopped a bit of a distance away and on some rubble so they could look down on their opponents.

Rukia scoffed in disgust, "Don't you two learn!"

It was the two that had followed her to Orihime's room and had been defeated then healed. They both glared at Rukia before they unsheathed their swords and readied for their attack. Rukia unsheathed her zanpakutou as well and brought up her guard. The blond one began to laugh at her attempt one more, "Look at that bitch. Last time she could barely even move now she thinks she can beat us."

Rukia didn't give them a chance to say anything else as she used shunpo to approach them and launch her attack. They blocked her attack before forcing her off balance to conduct their own attacks against her. She blocked all the attacks that she could but against two opponents it wasn't looking good and Renji had yet to step up to help out.

As things started to lean in favor of the arrancars Isane stepped in and took on the dark haired one and evened the playing field. The two soul reapers jumped away from each other to put some distance between the two fights. The arrancar separated from each other as well to follow their opponents obliviously putting themselves at a disadvantage.

With the fight evened out it soon became clear who were stronger and who would walk away from this with only a few injuries. As predicted Rukia soon got the upper hand on the arrancar even with the little strength the pill had given her. Her determination carried her blade and broke through the arrancars defense and cut through her. She wasn't dead but she wouldn't get up.

Rukia got closer to Isane but didn't enter her fight. She simply observed and did it in plain sight of the other arrancar to show who would be victorious and show the loser. The arrancar met her eyes for only a brief moment as she was cut down. This one too was not killed but would not be getting up. There was restraint in both Rukia and Isane to ensure that at least.

Though Rukia knew if they did try to attack again there would be no hesitation in her blade. They would both die next time they tried to attack and there would be no mercy. Isane glanced over at Rukia and went to heal the minor injuries she had acquired during the fight. There was a faint smile on her face as she spoke, "So you and Orihime, huh. When did that happen?"

"A couple hours ago, I guess." Rukia replied. "Though, nothing has really been determined about our relationship yet. It would be best to wait until we get out of here before that is discussed."

Her smile widened a little, "You better figure that out before someone else takes her from you. I saw the looks she was getting from Uryu."

"He wouldn't even try it." Rukia said with aggravation. "Even if he did Orihime would deny him."

"Are you sure?" Isane asked. "Orihime is a good natured person. It's likely she won't want to hurt his feelings so she won't do it."

Rukia glanced over at Orihime and found that she had finished healing Captain Zaraki's wounds and was talking to Uryu. Even from here her happy smile was evident as well as her happy mood. She narrowed her eyes and watched them as the mood turned awkward and Uryu scratched the back of his head as he became nervous.

She watched from a distance as Orihime continued to smile kindly at him even in his awkwardness. Orihime glanced over at Rukia and offered a smile which was returned without hesitation. With that one act Rukia was completely reassured and she turned back to Isane, who was just finishing up with the wounds, "Its fine, Orihime will let him down if he tries it."

Isane glanced over at them, "You seem pretty confident."

Rukia glanced back at Orihime in time to see Uryu almost hang his head in disappointment. A slight smile formed on her face as she said, "He got rejected."

"So it seems." Isane said with a slight chuckle. "We should go join them before Orihime says too much. Assuming, of course that you want this to be kept a secret."

"Yeah," Rukia said quickly and used shunpo to return faster.

As she returned a few feet away from Orihime she heard a bit of their conversation, "…me who it is."

But as she returned it got Orihime's attention and ended her conversation with Uryu as she hurried over to express her concern. Rukia just smiled and said, "I'm fine. All my injuries have been treated already."

Orihime smiled gratefully before bringing her gaze to the fallen arrancars. Her smile saddened as she sensed their presence. "They'll be fine, Orihime. They're only wounded enough so they can't pursue us."

Her smile warmed a little as Uryu walked over as well with Renji close behind him. Zaraki was sitting and talking to Yachiru while Hanataro was being bullied by Nel. Byakuya was off to the side ignoring the situation as he seemed to be waiting for something to happen.

It wasn't long before Vice-Captain Nemu appeared and bowed before Byakuya, "The soul gate to the material world has been secured and is ready for use."

Rukia met her brother's eyes and he offered a slight nod. She looked at the others around her and said, "We're leaving."

She walked over to her brother as the others followed behind her. Zaraki followed as well without argument as he seemed to be satisfied with his need for violence and Yachiru clung to his bare shoulder. They all walked in silence as they followed Nemu to the soul gate. Orihime was right beside Rukia but they didn't hold each others hands at all though they occasionally met eyes and shared a warm smile with one another.

The two girls were near the front and close behind Byakuya while Renji and Uryu weren't far behind them with Isane and Hanataro walking with them as well while Zaraki and Yachiru brought up the rear guard. Everyone walked in silence with the slight exception of Nel, who clung to Rukia's shoulder and cried as she knew her newfound friends were leaving.

For the whole walk the only noise came from Nel as she complained about losing her new friends. All her tears seemed to stop as they arrived and she found her 'brothers' were waiting for them with Chad and Captain Kurotshuchi. It was clear of the battle that had been waged at this site due to the rubble and debris scattered around along with the espada who lay defeated not far away.

The Captain seemed to be impatient as he dug through the rubble as if searching for something. It was as if the espada had interested him and now he was digging through what remained of the building. Nemu went right to his side almost loyally while Rukia stuck close to her brother. Orihime remained by her side without hesitation or question as they waited for the soul gate to open so they could return to the material world and offer their aid to the ongoing battle that carried out there.

After a while Kurotshuchi finished going through the rubble and returned to open the gate. When it had opened completely Rukia took one step before she found Nel clinging to her leg in full tears once more. Rukia stopped and bent down to be more level with the small child. She placed her hand on Nel's head with a kind smile, "Nel, you can't come with us now. You have to stay here."

"Nel wants to go too." She cried stubbornly. "Nel wants to help Itsygo."

Rukia let out a sigh as she sensed the other waiting on her. "Nel, I have a little task for you."

"Really?" Her eyes almost shined with excitement.

"Yes, you're in charge of Hueco Mundo now." Rukia said doing her best to make Nel believe she would have some important task. "Keep it in order and make sure nothing goes wrong. But if things become too much for you don't be afraid to go get help."

Nel wiped away her tears with a look of determination as the other hollows joined them and offered a salute to either go along with it or to show their dedication to their new 'mission'. Rukia stood up pleased that Nel took this seriously which meant she would stay here without a fuss now. She offered one last smile as she said, "I leave it to you."

Nel nodded immediately and Rukia turned to leave. The others were all waiting for her in the gate but most didn't have their attention on her. Orihime, on the other hand watched Rukia with a warm smile as she waited. As she got into the gate it began to close and Rukia glanced back once more to find Nel was still on the verge of tears from their departure.

As the gate closed and shut them off from each other everyone began their way through the gate but Rukia hesitated for a moment before continuing on. This time she held Orihime's hand in her own with less hesitation and less care. Once more no one spoke as Byakuya led them through the gate. Their pace quickened as the other side began to open and there was little reiatsu coming into the gate.

With the amount present the battle must already be over. But who was victorious and who had lost the battle? Orihime's grip on Rukia's hand tightened as they got to the end and peered out at the destroyed town. Rukia did a quick search of the area and found weak sources of reiatsu all around them. The closest one was below them.

Rukia released Orihime's hand and wrapped her arm around her waist and jumped out of the gate as the others did the same but while the others went to search for the other soul reapers Rukia brought Orihime to the ground. When they reached the ground they soon found the source of the reiatsu as a fallen espada lay dying not far away from them.

Orihime moved forward immediately before hesitating and glancing back at Rukia, who offered only a nod. She allowed her hand to rest on the hilt of her zanpakutou as Orihime ran to the espada's side. It was only a moment before she was there and her shield had been raised. Rukia stood in the espada's blind spot well aware that if she decided to attack that there was no way either of them had the power to defeat her.

The espada's wounds healed slowly as the pained look on Orihime's face worsened as if she cared for this hollow. Rukia watched her sadly before she noticed that Orihime had shifted her gaze to the espada's face. The espada had regained consciousness but it was clear she was still weak but regardless Rukia's hand gripped the hilt of her sword as the espada watched Orihime.

"Human…" She said slowly.

Her eyes widened a little as she shot up and gripped Orihime by the collar of her outfit. It was only a moment before Rukia's zanpakutou was against the espada's neck. She glanced over at Rukia before returning her gaze to Orihime as she weakly spoke, "My arrancar are injured. Please, help them too."

She released Orihime and collapsed back to the ground with increased breathing. It was clear she was still conscious but it was unclear if she was still a threat or not. Rukia's zanpakutou rested by her throat as a precaution but Orihime didn't seem to be too worried about this situation. Did she trust this espada or did she know whether or not she would try to attack? Rukia didn't want to ask so instead kept up her guard and tracked the closest form of reiatsu that didn't belong to an enemy.

Everyone else was far off and wouldn't get to them in time if there was trouble. They would be on their own if there was trouble and they'd have to do what they could to survive until help arrived for them. Once more the espada opened her eyes but this time kept her gaze on Rukia, who did her best to keep her glare. "I'm no threat to you."

"I don't trust hollows." Rukia said as her glare got colder as she recalled the last espada she fought.

"I'm not as despicable as Aaroniero. I don't use cheap tricks against my opponents." She stated. "I have no reason to fight you."

"What about pleasing Aizen?" Rukia asked harshly.

The espada looked at Rukia with a complete loathing as the name was spoken. "He was the one that cut me down."

"It's true." Orihime said making Rukia turn her gaze away from the espada. "I can feel his presence in her wounds. He dealt the final attack."

Rukia stood in shock until she felt her zanpakutou being moved. Her glare returned as she looked at the espada. She moved the blade away from her neck and released it before she began to sit up. Her heavy breathing calmed as her appearance changed making Rukia pick up her guard once more. The clothing that the espada wore now did more to cover her then what she wore before. Now she wore a regular hakama and a cut off jacket that was open and left her stomach completely revealed but left her arms completely covered.

She took her sword and stood up. Her eyes met with Rukia's for a moment as she tossed her weapon to her and said, "A sign of trust."

Rukia barely caught the sword and stared at the espada in shock that she had so willingly disarmed herself. The espada turned and walked away from them as she did up her jacket. Orihime stood up and glanced at Rukia, who continued to watch the espada carefully. "Rukia, its okay to trust her, I didn't sense any form of a threat coming from her when I was healing her."

"This way," The espada said.

Orihime took Rukia's arm and followed the espada. Rukia sighed in defeat and sheathed her sword so she had a hand free to claim Orihime's. The gesture was welcomed immediately as they followed the espada. They walked in silence but Rukia remained on guard and would even use the espada's sword against her if it were absolutely necessary for survival. But the espada didn't give her much reason to be on her guard.

The continued on for a few minutes before three arrancar came into view. Orihime immediately rushed over to help them as Rukia followed close behind her. Her guard picked up tremendously as she neared the espada but again there was no attack or even anything to give her a reason to be weary of her. She continued to Orihime's side and found how bad the arrancar was.

"Is there anything you can do?" She asked gently as she placed her hand on Orihime's shoulder.

She didn't care much for the arrancars but if they weren't healed it could give the espada reason to attack since it seemed that the only reason she hadn't was because of her arrancar. But if Aizen had cut her down that gave her less of a reason to attack them but she might anyways. She moved her gaze from the arrancar in front of her to the other two not far away from them then back to the espada that she still did not trust.

Each one had been badly injured but had they all been cut down by Aizen? From the look of their wounds it was highly unlikely that they had. The espada had two fatal wounds while the arrancar had many lesser wounds but none as fatal as the espada's. That meant the arrancar had been cut down by soul reapers but was it before or after the espada?

It had to be before considering that the espada knew about it and she was found in a puddle of fresh blood while the arrancars blood had already started to dry and their wounds had stopped bleeding, with the slight exception of where they had lost their arms. That still slowly dripped blood when they had arrived. But now it had stopped and the arm had reformed from Orihime's healing ability.

After the first arrancar's wounds were healed Orihime went on to the next one with Rukia right behind her. This one was in the same condition; multiple small wounds and missing an arm. That made her wonder why they were both missing an arm and what was more is that it seemed to have been pulled off instead of cut off. Who had these arrancar been fighting for their arms to be ripped off? The only two soul reapers that would do that were Captain Zaraki and Captain Kurotshuchi but they had both gone to Hueco Mundo.

There was movement behind her and she turned around and found the arrancar that had already been healed was now on the attack. Rukia turned to try and get her guard up in time only for the espada to appear and grasp the arrancar's weapon with her hand mid attack. "They are not our enemy, Apacci."

The arrancar looked over at the espada with a confused look, "What about Lord Aizen?"

The espada's grip on her arrancars weapon tightened and the blade cracked under the pressure as she spoke hate filled words, "He is _not_ our 'Lord' anymore. We do not follow him and if he returns here we will face him with the soul reapers."

Apacci was completely taken aback but nodded all the same. The espada released the blade just as it was about to shatter in her grasp. The arrancar ran her hand along the blade of her weapon and the cracks mended. Rukia watched them with less unease with their last act but still held her doubts regardless of the actions and the words. The depth of hatred in the espada's words however was reassuring to her.

Orihime continued healing the other arrancar's wounds but even she had become weary of the other hollows behind her. Rukia reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort but kept her gaze on the hollows in their presence as they seemed to be an on and off threat as her trust shifted in them. Her trust had grown a little but not by much.

Orihime began to get up making Rukia turn her focus back to her as her hand fell from her shoulder. This arrancar's wounds have been treated. They moved on to the next one while the hollows remained behind. Orihime began on this arrancar as Rukia turned her gaze back to the other hollows and found the arrancar had crouched down as she spoke to the other arrancar.

The espada walked over to join them quietly and just stood there for a moment as she watched the wounds fade from her arrancar. "Your ability still fascinates me, human."

She turned her gaze to Rukia next as she stood almost protectively behind Orihime. "When you have finished I will bring you to the human world to face Aizen. That is where he is now. He's fighting the half-breed there."

She got a confused look before it registered that the espada spoke of Ichigo. "Can you tell whose winning?"

"It's too far away to tell. But they both wield unimaginable power." The espada replied as her eyes narrowed. "Aizen had fused with the hogyuko and the half-breed has completely changed since he was at Hueco Mundo."

Rukia's eyes widened, "How can that be possible?"

The espada didn't answer her instead she just stood there and closed her eyes. A few moments went by with complete silence. Orihime stood up as well now as the arrancar's wounds were healed. She gripped Rukia's hand with a growing concern. The espada opened her eyes and said, "They are at a stalemate."

She raised a hand near her shoulder and a soul gate opened behind her. She turned to enter it as the other arrancar appeared by their side as well. "What are we doing now, Halibel?"

She glanced over at them and said, "We're going to the real human world."

Halibel walked forward into the gate and Rukia hesitated before following her in as the two arrancar followed them while the third had yet to wake and was being carried by the bigger one of the two that were conscious. The gate closed behind them and once more they were in the cold and dark closed space that hollows used. They walked through it quickly as they were anxious to get to the other side and join the battle.

As the other end of the gate began to open they felt more then just two forms of reiatsu. Soon they found that Chad, Renji and Uryu were on the other side of the gate. As they saw the gate open next to them they all readied their guard to attack but Rukia ran out in front of Halibel, "It's okay, they're with us."

They seemed taken aback by the turn of events as Orihime came out of the gate as well. The arrancar followed close behind her and it closed behind them. Halibel glanced over at the fight before outstretching her hand towards Rukia. As soon as she saw the open hand she placed the espada's sword in it. She then turned her gaze to her arrancar and said, "Stay here, I will not see you harmed again."

With that she joined the battle in the distance. Renji looked over at Rukia as his confusion deepened, "Do you want to explain this one to me, Rukia?"

"Aizen betrayed us." Apacci said. "So we've switched sides."

Renji turned his attention back to Rukia and she just shrugged and said, "From my knowledge that's all there is to it."

"That's all we need." The other arrancar said as she turned her gaze to Orihime. "We are grateful for your help, human. We're in your debt."

Orihime just smiled at them and said, "Don't worry about it."

There was an explosion of reiatsu from the battle followed almost immediately by a wave of water that came out of nowhere. The wave had to at least a few stories high and miles long before it crashed to the ground and scattered. All attention was on the battle and there were no more questions or mistrust as it faded from everyone's mind.

Orihime gripped Rukia's hand as the tables began to turn for the worst. As it got worse the injuries probably became much more fatal. Apacci seemed almost restless beside Rukia as she shifted nervously before looking over at the other arrancar and saying, "Mila Rose, I can't just stand here."

"Wait," Rukia said as she looked over at them. "Who's using water?"

They gave her an odd look before Mila Rose said, "Halibel is, why?"

"Good," Rukia said as she unsheathed her zanpakutou and released Orihime's hand.

"What do you plan on doing?" Apacci asked.

Before answering the hollow she released her shikai. Rukia looked over at her and said, "I'm going to use it to my advantage."

Renji smirked from the other small group and said, "Good thinking."

Rukia used shunpo to travel to the battle and soon noticed that one of the arrancar had joined her as well. She glanced over and found Apacci right behind her. As their eyes met the arrancar offered a nod and shouted, "I'll cover you so you can get close enough."

"Right," Rukia said and quickened their pace.

As they got to the scene of the fight however they split up. Apacci went to Halibel while Rukia went to Ichigo. They would have to be quick with their explanation before they exploited their advantage. Ichigo glanced over at Rukia as he panted for breath and she took in his appearance.

His long black hair, his upper body wrapped up in bandages, and covered in reiatsu. It was strange to see that he had changed so much in the time span of one hour. She could tell just by looking at him what this form was doing to him right now. It was taking away all his power and strength. She had to act quickly before he lost everything because of this fight.

"Ichigo, take a break." Rukia said. "We'll take care of this."

Before he could argue against it she took off again and Apacci was right beside her in an instant. As she passed Halibel she noted that she had returned to the form she was found in. Her weapon was raised above her head before it was brought down and along with it enough water to fill a lake. It crashed down on Aizen and there was nothing he could do to avoid it. There was too much to avoid successfully and it filled the canyon they were in.

As the water began to settle Rukia thrust her zanpakutou into it and poured all her reiatsu into it to make it freeze. She was soon panting for air as this drained all the strength she still didn't have. At the rate she was going she would kill herself before all the water froze.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer; I do not own bleach or any of the characters.

Chapter - 5

Rukia panted heavily as the freezing rate of the water slowed dramatically and her vision began to fade on her. It wouldn't be long until this drained her life completely. She grit her teeth and pushed on as the taste of blood in her mouth was no longer just a taste and blood dripped down her chin as she strained her abilities to do this and finish this before Aizen broke out. She closed her eyes and focused completely on this task.

She felt a hand on hers and opened her eyes and found Apacci right beside her and letting her own reiatsu flow through Rukia's hand and into her blade which then transferred to the growing ice. The freeze rate increased a little then even more as Halibel place her hand on Rukia's as well. The amount of reiatsu Halibel was pouring in made the water freeze much faster as she used her control of it to her advantage and lowered its temperature.

It was only a moment before she sensed the other arrancar arrive and their hands fell on Rukia's back. She felt four different sources of reiatsu flow through her and through that she felt their pain and sorrow and she even had a glance at their memories. As curious as she may have been about them and their motives behind their actions she did her best to focus on the task at hand and not pry into their past when she had no right to know these things.

There was a very strong wave of anger and pain that surged through Rukia before she was staring out over Karakura and Captain Hitsugaya was in front of her with his guard up as if they were fighting. Then there was someone behind her. She turned around and found Aizen standing right there. Her eyes widened as his blade cut through her chest. Her shock turned to rage and hate as he spoke emotionless words, "I'm done with you."

Rukia knew immediately that this was Halibel's memory. In her rage she thrust her weapon into Aizen's chest. He remains uncaring as he said, "Dealing with you is such a pain."

Her eyes widened once more as she realized that she had attacked an illusion and not Aizen but by that time she had already been stabbed in the back of her left shoulder. "That will be the last time you ever raise your blade to me."

After that she fell to the ground and the memory was gone. Rukia snapped out of the memory as the water finished freezing. She was aware of the heavy breathing from the arrancar but she felt fine with their reiatsu continuing to flow through her. She released her zanpakutou with one hand and Halibel's hand shifted from the back of her hand to her wrist and continued the support.

Rukia smashed her hand on the ice and said, _"Shatter, Sode no Shirayuki."_

The ice cracked as loud as thunder. It sounded as if they were right in the middle of the fiercest of thunderstorms. The sound itself echoed miles away and frightened the bystanders of the fight as they watched unable to do anything. They stood there lost and confused as to what was going on and why the other two arrancar had left without a word. None of that mattered as they waited for something else to happen.

What happened next however, they were not expecting at all. The ice seemed to explode sending chunks the size of ice burgs in every direction. Renji immediately unleashed his bankai and covered them with it to form a shield around them. The last form of reiatsu they saw was coming from the other side of the canyon as Ichigo attempted to keep himself safe.

The chunks of ice smashed into Zabimaru with loud crashes making everyone hidden by it jump with every hit that they couldn't see coming. After a moment they sensed additional presences under Zabimaru as well. They were all very weak and out of breath but with Zabimaru wrapped up so tight it prevented any light to get in so they had no idea what was going on until Uryu allowed his bow to form.

The light it gave off was very dim but it was enough to reveal the four hollows along with Ichigo and Rukia. Rukia was unconscious in Halibel's arms as she had collapsed on the side of Zabimaru and Ichigo was partially in two of the arrancar's arms as it was revealed that they had both been brought back to safety by the hollows. Orihime hurried to their sides but even with their exhaustion the only ones that were injured were Halibel and Ichigo.

She began healing them at once without hesitation as the chunks of ice continued to fall around them. Halibel looked up at the fear in everyone's eyes and said, "If I had the strength I would melt the ice but I can't even move anymore."

"What the hell happened out there?" Renji asked. "I knew Rukia was going to freeze the water but that was crazy."

"It had to be…" Halibel trailed off as she lost consciousness.

Orihime finished healing Ichigo's wounds before going to treat Halibel. She frowned at the fact that Rukia was still in her arms but she was grateful that she had been returned safely. But then she found that the palms of her hands were drenched with her own blood and it had stained the hilt of her zanpakutou, which had fallen out of her grasp and was on Halibel's legs but surprisingly hadn't cut her.

Orihime picked up Rukia's zanpakutou and sensed how much it felt as if it belonged to a hollow and it reeked of a hollows presence. She dropped it in fear and the blade fell right on Halibel's leg but once more it didn't do any harm. What could that even mean? How could a zanpakutou that belonged to a soul reaper feel like a weapon that belonged to a hollow? That shouldn't be possible.

Slowly things began to quiet down and Renji separated a part of his bankai and Uryu peered out to see if it was safe. He offered a nod and Renji sealed his zanpakutou revealing the field of ice that covered the landscape. They stood awestruck at the scene around them as pieces of ice that had stayed on Zabimaru began to fall down on them but this time Chad quickly disposed of it all and smaller, more harmless pieces fell to the ground around them.

"That was quite an impressive display." A voice called from behind them.

They all turned in fear of who they would find standing there but were all immediately relieved to find Urahara and a few other soul reaper Captains along with the Captain Commander, Yamamoto. Aizen was with them as well but unconscious and bound by multiple kidou spells. The Captains turned their gaze on the hollows that were unconscious with them. Yamamoto opened his eyes and watched them carefully as he spoke, "Do any of you want to explain why there are hollows here and why you protected them?"

"Sir," Captain Hitsugaya started. "That espada was betrayed by Aizen. She must have turned on him and how she survived to do so seems to be pretty evident with Orihime here."

"So you healed the enemy then sided with them?" Yamamoto asked angrily

"Actually they sided with us." Renji said. "When they got here the espada joined the fight immediately but when things weren't looking good Rukia joined and used her zanpakutou ability to use the espada's attack the her advantage. That's all I was able to tell from here but why they're all unconscious is something I can't say."

Urahara approached them and crouched down to examine them carefully, "Just as I thought. What Rukia did was too much for her to handle so the hollows gave her all the strength they had for it to work. Now they're too exhausted to do anything and they will be for a while."

"Are you certain of this?" Yamamoto asked.

"Their lack of energy and the heavy hollow presence in Rukia confirms it." Urahara stated. "It's even sunk into her zanpakutou to the point that I wouldn't be surprised if it refuses to harm them."

"Will there be any lasting effects of this transfer?" Captain Kuchiki asked.

"Only time will tell." Urahara answered as Byakuya just narrowed his eyes. "Nothing like this has ever happened before so there's no telling what will happen."

The Captain didn't seem to be pleased with the answer and neither did a few others but there was nothing to do but wait and see what would happen to her. No one was fond of the idea least of all Orihime considering her feelings for the other girl. She had yet to leave her side but had made room for Urahara to see if there was anything of concern in her.

The hollow presence frightened Orihime and she feared Rukia becoming a hollow. If she did it would be unlikely that she would even recall her feelings for her or any of their time spent together. She was glad now that they had shared more then one kiss with one another even if it had been a precaution at first their last kiss was about their feelings just like the first kiss they shared together in that small room in Hueco Mundo when they were hiding.

Urahara pulled Rukia out of Halibel's arms and lifted her up before carrying her back to the Captains. Orihime got up and watched with complete worry of what would happen to her but she was concerned about the hollows as well since they played a big part in Aizen's defeat. Byakuya opened a soul gate before taking Rukia in his arms. A few Captain left with him while a couple stayed behind.

Urahara returned to the hollows and Ichigo as he said, "I'll take care of these five."

Orihime watched the Captains with concern as they were the stricter Captains of the Gotei 13 and they may not allow the hollows to live. As predicted Captain Commander Yamamoto hit the ground with his cane to gather attention, "What do you plan on doing with them, Urahara?"

"I'll let them regain their strength and send them on their way." Urahara said.

"Do you think that's wise?" Yamamoto asked.

"I'm sure it's fine." Urahara said.

Yamamoto let out a long sigh and said, "Do what you will."

As Urahara picked up Halibel another soul gate appeared and the all the Captains left besides Hitsugaya, who quickly went elsewhere possibly to aid the others still here. Renji picked up one of the smaller arrancar as well and they both left. Orihime stayed with the other arrancar as Uryu and Chad lingered until Renji returned and picked up Ichigo and carried him off as well. Chad went over and picked up the taller arrancar and started back towards the town.

Uryu let out a sigh as he went over and picked up the last arrancar and started back as well. Orihime walked with them and soon she noticed a figure approaching them quickly and on occasion slipping on some ice. They slowed down a little as they realized who it was. A warm smile formed on Orihime's face as Tatsuki ran over to her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Tatsuki's embrace tightened a little as she clearly tried to stifle her sob. Orihime returned the embrace without hesitation as Uryu glanced over with a slight awkward chuckle, "You better not let your boyfriend get jealous."

Tatsuki straightened up and looked at Uryu in almost shock before looking back at Orihime, "You have a boyfriend? When did this happen?"

Orihime looked at both of them taken aback, "I don't have a boyfriend."

Tatsuki looked over at Uryu with an angry look, "Why say that if she's not with anyone?"

"You told me you did have a boyfriend, Orihime." Uryu said.

"I never said I had a boyfriend." Orihime said. "I just told you I was with someone."

"That means you have a boyfriend, Orihime." Tatsuki said with an impatient sigh.

Orihime stopped to think about it for a moment before smiling at Tatsuki and saying, "I still don't have a boyfriend."

"Then how are you with someone?" Tatsuki asked as they continued back to town.

"Well, we confessed, kissed a couple of times and left it at that." Orihime said brightly. "We decided to wait until things calmed down before going any further but it might be a while before everything works out."

Tatsuki watched her with worry at the upset tone in her voice. She placed a hand on her best friends shoulder to give her reassurance. Orihime smiled over at her warmly in return of her comfort bringing a warm smile to Tatsuki's face. "I hope things work out for you two, Orihime."

Orihime's smile brightened dramatically as she said, "I hope so too."

With her mood brightened they continued on with a growing silence. As they continued on Orihime's mood began to diminish as she continued to concern herself with Rukia's wellbeing. She was well aware of how much she had pushed herself in the past five hours and it was nowhere near good. Not to mention how exhausted she had been when Halibel had brought her back. Then there was also the hollow presence that was in her and the dangers it might hold in the future for her.

It seemed her concern was evident as Tatsuki once more put her hand on her shoulder and offered a smile. This time Orihime returned it with a weaker smile then before. Tatsuki's smile faded as her concern grew for her friend. There had been such a great distance between them for the past couple of months that comforting each other didn't seem to have the same effect it used to before all of this started happening.

As they got back into town they realized that everything seemed to be frozen. Nothing moved and no one seemed to be around. Everything was just deserted and empty. Uryu scanned the area with his eyes and tried to scan town for any form of reiatsu but was only coming up with a few soul reapers and the very faint presence of the four hollows that had sided with them as well as Ichigo. Even Renji's presence seemed pretty faint now.

They continued with their guards raised though their arms were full leaving only Orihime to defend them if it were necessary. But there was nothing in Karakura that even seemed to be a threat and even the hollows they carried were less of a threat then a kitten. Even if they did regain consciousness they wouldn't be capable of doing a thing. The strongest one wasn't even able to say more than two sentences before she lost consciousness.

Soon they were walking into Urahara's shop and still without word but there were repeated attempts made by Tatsuki to try and cheer Orihime up as her mood only seemed to worsen with time. They walked into a hall and soon found that one of the doors had been left open almost invitingly for them. When they walked in they found two futons laid out on the floor for the last two arrancars while it seemed that Ichigo was brought to a different room all together.

The arrancar were set down on a futon before they were left there to rest. Everyone moved to the dining room where Urahara and Renji waited for them. There was a slight surprise as they found Keigo sitting there as well. When everyone was seated at the table or against a wall Urahara let out a long sigh, "As you may or may not know. Karakura is in a state of hibernation and will be for another few hours. When those hours are up the town will go back to normal and no one will know what even happened."

"What about these humans?" Renji asked.

"There's no need to worry about that. While these two might remember what happened no one else will." Urahara said. "When everyone else wakes up they won't remember who was around them so a few disappearances won't matter."

"What do you mean disappearances?" Keigo asked nervously.

"The two of you woke up and left the area then moved a couple others which would cause a bit of a panic if they remembered that you were there then all of a sudden you're not." Urahara explained. "It wasn't likely that anyone would wake up but it seems that it was wise to take that precaution since it did happen."

Renji let out a sigh as he stood up, "I should go back to Soul Society."

He got a nod from Urahara giving him his leave. Orihime stood up as well, "I want to go too."

She got a few odd looks before Renji said, "It might be best if you stayed here, Orihime."

"Let her go." Urahara said. "Squad 4 could use all the help they can get."

"Alright," Renji said. "Hurry up then."

He began opening the Senkaimon as Orihime rushed to his side. She wanted to go more for Rukia but Urahara did have a point, she would be very helpful to Squad 4 right now and with Rukia's current exhaustion there wasn't much to be done for her but let her rest until she has regained her strength. Until that time Orihime will do what she can for everyone else in Soul Society. With her abilities things will go a bit faster.

They wasted no time in travelling to Soul Society and spent little time talking but there was minor conversation here and there. They didn't really have much to talk about as their minds were elsewhere. Though they were both concerned about Rukia their concern differed. Renji was unaware of how dense the presence of the hollow was inside Rukia and what it felt like. Orihime knew and she had felt it inside her and her zanpakutou.

But it wasn't just the hollow presence that concerned Orihime it was everything Rukia had been through since they reunited in Hueco Mundo that worried her. She knew better then anyone how much Rukia had pushed herself and how much she had suffered. All that was done had all been for Orihime's safety and all her actions showed just how much she really loved the girl.

"Orihime," Renji started. "Things may get pretty bad and really hectic with Squad 4. If it becomes too much for you don't be afraid to take a break. You don't have to push yourself with this. As helpful as it is it's not your responsibility to do anything like this."

Orihime smiled at Renji, "I'll be alright."

"Those espada's were really powerful." Renji said. "So things are going to be very busy for you."

"That's true." Orihime said with a laugh. "But at least it seems that we have an ally in Hueco Mundo."

"I don't think that alliance will last long." Renji said skeptically.

"I think it will." Orihime said happily. "They were different from the others at Hueco Mundo."

Renji continued to watch her with growing skepticism, "It's still very unlikely."

"If it were unlikely they wouldn't have helped us fight Aizen." Orihime defended.

"They were acting out of revenge." Renji said. "If Aizen hadn't betrayed them they would have fought for him to the end."

"But after they had defeated Aizen they brought both Ichigo and Rukia back to safety. If they were acting out of revenge only they wouldn't have bothered." Orihime said confidently. "They even went out of their way to get Ichigo. He was on the other side of the canyon but they still went to get him even though they could barely manage it."

"I guess you have a point there." Renji sighed. "You really have a lot of faith in others, don't you?"

"Of course," Orihime said happily.

Renji couldn't help a slight smile at the girl's faith in others as the gate opened and they walked into the Seireitei. He escorted her to where she was needed and it wasn't long before the commotion was heard and there was a lot of running around to be seen. As they got to Squad 4's main building they soon found that it was the loudest.

They walked in slowly and found just how busy it was. There were lots of running back and fourth along with shouting. It was so busy and loud that no one even noticed their arrival. It took a few minutes before they spotted Captain Unohana as she went to the desk near the back of the room. Renji brought Orihime over and had to stand there for a few minutes until they were actually noticed.

Unohana looked over with a smile. Renji pushed Orihime forward a bit and yelled, "You have an extra set of hands!"

Unohana nodded gratefully and Renji took his leave as Orihime was brought out of the main room. They went down a hallway and soon came to a stop in a quieter room that held the Captains that had been injured. Orihime made her way in without word and soon found that they had already been treated but a couple of them had lost their arms.

She started at one end and worked her way through healing all of them. As their wounds healed the ones that didn't need rest left to go back to their business or do things elsewhere since all of Seireitei seemed to be in an uproar. When all the Captains had been treated Orihime left the room and found that Captain Unohana had left to do other things so she went to the loudest room she could find to offer her assistance.

As she worked her way through the rooms she saw wounds that she never wanted to see on anybody and she did everything that she could. It wasn't long before most of Squad 4 knew she was there and started requesting her services to help them with the critically wounded. She didn't even have time to wonder in search of people to help as she just got dragged around the building.

Towards the end of the day she was finally allowed a break and was brought to a hot spring behind the building as well as a soul reaper robe to change into. She was very grateful to have a break but she knew it wouldn't last long. But she didn't mind getting right back to work. The sooner she finished the sooner she would see Rukia even if she was still resting or if she had woken up. It would still be a while before she regained enough strength to move around.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer; I do not own bleach or any of the characters.

Chapter – 6

Her body was stiff and sore as she began to wake up. Her eyes hurt as they began to open slowly only to be blinded by light. She shut her eyes and tried to remember what happened to her. The last thing that she remembered was being stabbed in the back by Aizen. She knew that wasn't the last thing that had happened because she also remembered what had happened after that but the last memory that went through her mind was her of being betrayed.

She began to open her eyes once more to allow them to adjust to the light. There was a slight ringing that persisted in one ear presumably from when the soul reaper had shattered the ice. As she adjusted to the light she looked around the strange room she was in. There was nothing familiar about this place but the girl asleep at the desk was very familiar to her.

It was the human that Aizen had brought to Las Noches as a decoy though she was now in soul reaper robes. But why was she here, wherever 'here' was? Above the desk was a window that, from what she could see, showed a wall and a rising sun. She rose from the bed she slept on and approached the human but continued to look out the window at the garden that was there. Nothing about this was familiar and it definitely wasn't anything she knew.

She went to the door and opened it before stepping out of the room and looked around. Everything here was new to her and she didn't even know where to go. "Rukia?"

She turned to face the voice though the name was unfamiliar to her. The human had awoken and spoke to her but why did she say that name? A tear rolled down the humans face before she noticed a change in herself. The human was taller then her when she had definitely been taller then the human before. Her eyes widened as she looked down at her hands and herself.

What she saw shocked her, the soul reaper robe, the lack of size, and the major difference in everything else as well. She looked back up at the human and found a lot more tears had rolled down her cheeks. A part of her ached at the site and brought her hands up to wipe away the tears from her face. For reasons unknown to her a warm smile formed on her face as the tears stopped falling.

The human returned her smile instantly and leaned down a little. As soon their lips touched she felt a swarm of different feelings run through her. There was a deep warmth that filled her chest as memories of them spending time together in the human world. As they separated her level of confusion had heightened. The flash of memories she had just then completely contradicted what she remembered when she had woken up.

She took a step back in her confusion. She didn't know what was real and what was not but she could not deny what she had felt when their lips had touched. It was strange and she was very confused. Her fingers grazed her lips in her confusion as she looked away from the human. Nothing made sense to her now as she walked past the human and back into the room in silence.

The human followed her in as she expressed her concern, "Rukia, are you alright? This isn't like you at all."

"Like me." She repeated in a voice that sounded alien to her. "What's 'like me'?"

She sat on the bed that she had woken up on and the human sat right next to her and took her hand. Their eyes met and concern found confusion. The human tried to smile but it faded as tears formed in her eyes once more as she asked, "You've changed haven't you?"

"I don't know." She replied. "I recall two different pasts but I don't know which is mine and which belongs to someone else."

"You're a soul reaper not a hollow." She said.

"That seems to be the case." She said distantly. "But I feel as though my past was in Hueco Mundo and not here."

The human watched her sadly as more tears welled in her eyes and threatened to spill out over her cheeks. She looked back across the room, "Your name, its Orihime, correct?"

She noticed the pained nod that was followed almost immediately by another flow of tears. Her eyes darted back to Orihime as a surge of pain went through her chest. She released the girl's hand and wrapped her arm around her instead to bring her closer as she wiped away every tear. Just seeing them tore her up inside. There was something about seeing this girl in pain that made her want to do anything in her power to stop it and make her smile once more.

When the tears finally stopped their eyes met once more and this time the one that initiated the kiss switched. This kiss was much deeper and longer then the previous one and it brought back even more memories and more feelings. When they separated their eyes met for only a moment before they embraced each other tightly. Though there was still confusion she knew her past now. All her feelings for this human proved it. If she were a hollow these feelings wouldn't be present inside her.

Rukia pulled away from Orihime with a smile before their lips met once more. She brought the girl down onto the bed and propped herself over her as her chest felt as though it would burst is she didn't show her how much she cared for her. They did nothing more then kiss each other as their feelings for the other deepened greatly. Orihime found Rukia's hand and the instant they touched their fingers laced together and they refused to let go.

They continued for a long time before they separated and shared loving smiles as Rukia was more sure about her feelings for this girl then anything else. Even if she knew which past belonged to her the other memories that she carried confused her but she would have to sort them out at another time. Right now the only thing that was important to her was the girl under her and the feelings she carried for that very girl.

For a long time they just looked into the others eyes before their lips met again. This kiss was more controlled and didn't last as long as their previous one. When they separated Orihime had a few tears in her eyes, "I was so worried you wouldn't recognize me when you woke up."

"I honestly didn't recognize you at first and I didn't recognize anything here." Rukia admitted sadly. "But when we kissed all my feelings for you came back to me. You brought everything back to me, Orihime."

A slight smile formed on Orihime's face though she was still saddened by the truth. She was at least happy that Rukia had remembered her even if it wasn't right away. She was even happier with the immediate attention when her tears fell. That guarantied that Rukia was still in there even if she herself was unaware of it. Rukia would always harbor feelings for her no matter what happened.

Orihime wrapped one hand around the back of Rukia's neck and brought her down a little so they could kiss once more. Their lips touched for a brief moment before Rukia pulled away from her. "I don't want too get carried away, Orihime."

Orihime just smiled up at her and said, "It's alright."

She allowed her hand to stray from the back of Rukia's neck to her cheek as they shared loving smiles. A moment went by before Rukia removed herself from the bed and lifted Orihime up as well. Her smile faded a little as she said, "I need to speak with my Captain about what happened at Hueco Mundo. I should probably speak to him about us as well."

"Or we could keep it between us for a little bit." Orihime said with a slight smile.

"I think it may be fairly obvious by now." Rukia said. "I feel like I've been asleep for ages."

"It was just a week and a half." Orihime said. "For how exhausted you were I'm amazed you weren't asleep for another week."

"I've never felt better though." Rukia said. "It's strange, I know I should still be exhausted but I feel better then ever."

"I'm glad you're feeling better." Orihime said brightly.

She leaned down and they shared another quick kiss before they left the room and the area that Rukia now recognized as her home. They walked through it quickly and started for the Squad 13 area hand in hand. It was early in the day but the streets were empty as everyone had already gone about their business and it was unlikely that they would meet many if they met anyone on their walk.

The two walked in silence but they were content with just being able to be with the other. It was enough for them because they knew how the other felt and that they would always care for one another. Whenever another presence approached them their hands separated until they were alone once more then their hands would meet again as they had once again decided to keep their relationship a temporary secret.

It wasn't long before they made it to their destination and their hands separated once more. They walked into the building in a continued silence with a little less comfort then the trip to the building since they weren't holding hands. There were more encounters with others in this building and the two were stopped for small conversations before they were spotted by Kiyone and Sentarou and were brought to Captain Ukitake.

The trip to Ukitake's office soon became loud as Kiyone and Sentarou voiced their concern for Rukia and their praise for Orihime's help with Squad 4. Rukia listened them praise Orihime with a growing smile as she began to admire the girl even more for her dedication to others. But soon the praise became too much for the girl and she became nervous so Rukia placed a hand on her shoulder and offered a reassuring smile.

Orihime smiled brightly and her smile brightened even more as Rukia's hand fell from her shoulder but stopped at her hand and two of their fingers locked together but nothing more then that. The other two didn't notice as they were in the lead and didn't look back much. They walked oblivious to the feelings the two girls behind them shared.

Rukia released Orihime's fingers as they came to a stop in front of Captain Ukitake's office door. The door was opened for them and they entered the room. Ukitake's surprise was clear when he looked over and found who his visitors were. He smiled over at them and Kiyone and Sentarou took their leave without word to give them some privacy even if their leave was very loud as they argued.

"Rukia, how are you feeling?" Ukitake asked.

"I feel great." Rukia replied. "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm doing a lot better today then the other day." He said with a laugh. "Would you two like some tea?"

"That would be nice." Rukia replied and glanced over at Orihime, who simply nodded.

Ukitake got up and went to the kettle, which was conveniently already boiling. He poured tea for the three them and they went over to take their cup. The three of them walked over to the couch to sit down. As they did Rukia knew it would only be a matter of time before she would be asked about Hueco Mundo and her role in the fight against Aizen but her memory on that fight was scrambled and she had more then one point of view on it. She saw what had happened through five sets of eyes but none of it made any sense to her at all.

As they began to drink their tea Rukia felt a little relaxed as she leaned back on the couch. Her unease started slowly as her Captain met her eyes, "So what happened during the fight with Aizen?"

"I don't really know." Rukia said. "My memory on my involvement is scrambled. I can recall the whole thing from four different perspectives other then my own. I can see it from the hollows that were involved as well. I can't even begin to explain it."

She looked over at both of them and saw their concern. "Did you have any confusion when you woke this morning?"

"Yes," Rukia said. "When I awoke I believed I was the espada at first because her memories were very strong in my mind. It was most likely because of the anger and pain she felt when she was betrayed that left the memory so strong since that was the first thing that went through my mind when I opened my eyes. I really believed that I was her."

Orihime watched Rukia with deep concern as she recalled the really dark look her eyes held when their eyes had first met this morning. It had changed after their kiss but the look of confusion in her eyes didn't leave until Rukia initiated a kiss between them. After that there was no more confusion and all that was left was her love for the other girl. Now there was just confusion once more.

"Do you believe yourself to be a hollow even now?" Ukitake asked.

"No," Rukia responded. "I know who and what I am. It's just the memories of the hollows that had me confused about my identity but Orihime helped me remember who I was."

The two shared a smile before Ukitake spoke again, "I see, do you feel any different at all?"

"Other then better then I have been in a while not at all." Rukia replied.

"When you say 'better'," He started.

"I feel more relaxed and less stressed then I have over the previous few months." Rukia said. "With everything calm now I have less to worry about."

"I see," He said with a bit of a laugh. "I guess you would be after being unconscious for as long as you were as well. Though I'm surprised to see you up so soon after what I heard about your first night unconscious."

Rukia looked at him blankly, "What do you mean?"

"Byakuya told me you wouldn't stop screaming out in pain." He said seriously.

"I don't recall feeling any pain." Rukia said.

Rukia slowly started to become really concerned about what had happened to her and soon noticed the deep concern of the other two that watched her carefully. She met their eyes and smiled reassuringly. "I feel fine now."

Orihime continued to watch her with growing concern as she recalled Urahara's words on her condition, _only time will tell._ The hollow presence had completely vanished from her. It had been almost impossible to notice when she first got the chance to visit her when she was unconscious. But it wasn't long after that that it had disappeared completely. Now it didn't matter how much you looked for it there was nothing in her that indicated a hollow.

Rukia took another sip of her tea and tried to ignore everyone's worry and show that she was indeed fine and that there was no need for them to worry about her. The others began drinking their tea as well but Orihime's worried gaze returned to her every few minutes but with her feelings it was to be expected from her. It was clear how deep the girl's concern was.

"What happened in Hueco Mundo?" The Captain asked.

Rukia immediately looked away to hide her tears as she recalled her fight with the espada that portrayed himself as Kaien for the entire fight even after the illusion had been given away. She felt a hand fall on her shoulder but that had just made her pain worse. It was near impossible to restrain the tears from falling from her eyes as she recalled everything else.

Ukitake rose from his seat and went back to his desk as he said, "You can do the report later, if you want."

"I'll have it to you as soon as possible." Rukia said as she continued to fight her growing sob.

"In the meantime try to relax." He said. "Enjoy some time off with no worries."

Rukia didn't respond to him as Orihime began to rub her back. She tried to keep her focus on her tea and nothing else. She drank it quickly and brought the cup back to where the kettle was as Orihime followed by example and did the same. Rukia bowed to her Captain and took her leave with Orihime close behind her. She hadn't said anything in a while and Rukia was beginning to be concerned about it.

As they walked down the hallway there was once more no contact between them though they met no one. Rukia watched Orihime out of the corner of her eyes and found that she was distracted by something. She wanted to ask about it but wanted it to be more of a private conversation so instead of leaving the building she led the girl to a small room that was rarely used.

As Rukia shut the door behind them Orihime gave her a strange look. Her confusion turned to a slight fear as Rukia locked the door as well. She was led to the back of the room where there were a couple of seats. She was motioned to one and she sat down as Rukia sat close to her and asked, "Is anything wrong, Orihime?"

"I'm just worried about you." Orihime said.

"There's nothing to be worried about. I'm fine." Rukia said reassuringly. "If there was anything for you to be worried about I would tell you."

Orihime smiled warmly and said, "I'm still going to worry about you."

"I know you will and I'm grateful for your concern." Rukia said with a smile. "But it's not necessary. I feel better then I have in a long time."

"I'm glad to hear that." Orihime said as her smile grew.

As warm as her smile was the concern was still deep in her eyes. Rukia let out a sigh, "The only difference I feel now compared to before is that I'm a lot happier now. I'm not stressed I don't have much to worry about anymore and I know that you're safe now. I know that I'm not a hollow and I have no doubts about myself at all. But I will have to organize some thoughts and try to forget the memories of those hollows. Other then those few stray memories that don't belong to me there is absolutely nothing wrong."

Some of the concern seemed to leave Orihime's eyes but there was still some there. But her concern had become more of unease than anything else. It soon became clear that she was a little nervous to be in here. Now it was Rukia with the worried look on her face as she asked, "Is everything alright?"

"I'm just a bit nervous." Orihime admitted. "I'm not exactly ready for those types of things."

"That's not why I brought you in here, Orihime." Rukia said with a slight laugh. "I was just worried and wanted to have a bit of a private talk with you, that's all."

Orihime let out a bit of a nervous laugh, "I guess I am worrying too much."

Rukia smiled warmly at her, "We'll take our time, alright?"

Orihime nodded immediately before asking, "What should we do now?"

Rukia thought about it for a moment and said, "I know that I have to do some training today but other then that lets just enjoy the day."

"Sounds good," Orihime said happily. "Shall we start with the training so we don't have to worry about it later on?"

"Sure, why not." Rukia said with a smile as she stood up.

Orihime stood up as well and they made their way to the door but as they got there Rukia stopped and turned around to claim Orihime's lips for a moment before separating. They shared a warm smile before their lips met once more. This kiss lasted longer and Rukia was pushed against the door in submission. She was taken aback that Orihime had taken the lead like this but didn't mind in the slightest.

They continued on with a set pace for awhile until they heard movement on the other side of the door. All their actions stopped as they waited for the person to pass by. When they did their eyes met and they shared a smile before continuing at a slower pace then before so they wouldn't lose themselves to their passion for the other. It would be another hour before they left this room.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer; I do not own bleach or any of the characters.

Chapter – 7

Rukia stood with her guard raised as she awaited the next attack. Her breathing was heavy as were her opponents. They had trained almost tirelessly for a while now and they were nearing their break. This match would end when there was a victor but it was two on one and they were evenly matched. The two soul reapers she was training with were strong but they lacked teamwork and that was their only way of winning but they had yet to see that.

One attacked her and she easily dodged and went for the other one. He was caught off guard and tried to get away from her attack but just ended up tripping. He fell onto his back as the other had already turned and started another attack. Rukia turned and blocked it with ease as the one on the ground moved away to put enough distance for an attack.

Orihime watched from the sidelines with Captain Ukitake sitting next to her. They both watched the same match and were both impressed that Rukia was fending off both soul reapers flawlessly. They hadn't once broken through her defense and had yet to attack as one. It was clear that the three of them were giving it their all but the one that was winning this match was Rukia.

Both of Rukia's opponents had once again been forced to retreat from their attacks. They stood side by side and tried to find a weakness in her defense but they had nothing. Rukia waited patiently for them to attack so she could knock them off guard and hit them with her bare hand like she had done the entire match. A slight smirk formed on her face as they both came at her at once.

Now she was on the defense as they attacked her. As the tables turned on her she searched for any form of vulnerability in their actions and soon found plenty. But which one should she exploit? When they both attacked at once she held their blades with her own allowing them to struggle against her defense. She slowly shifted her footing so that her next move would be made swiftly and flawlessly.

She forced both of them off before bringing her blade to ones neck. A smirk formed on her face once more as he was beaten. Now it was just the other that remained. She glanced at him but was immediately taken aback as she noticed that his blade was right at her neck. They all lowered their weapons at the same time.

The other two soul reapers stayed there and talked while Rukia went back to her Captain and Orihime. She sheathed her zanpakutou along the way and was barely aware of the small cuts she had received from the narrow dodges she had made to give them hope. They didn't bother her at all even as they started to feel a little warm to her. She shrugged it off as a slight sting that didn't really hurt too much.

As she got close Orihime stood and hurried over to her, "Are you hurt at all?"

"I'm fine, Orihime." Rukia said reassuringly. "I just have a few scratches but it's nothing to worry about at all."

Orihime gave her a concerned look anyways but didn't have time to speak as Ukitake said, "They improved towards the end."

Rukia turned her gaze back at the two she had fought, "Yes, but if were a real fight they would have died almost immediately. They need to strategize more then just rely on their own strength."

"What are they teaching you kids at the academy these days?" He said with a sigh. "When I was there teamwork was lectured day in and day out. Now it seems to be lost to the young."

"For the next round I won't let them get close to me unless they're fighting as a team." Rukia said with determination.

"So, you're back on your feet already, huh?" A voice called out.

Rukia looked over and found Renji making his way over. "I'm fine, thanks for asking."

"There's no need to ask." Renji scoffed, "If you're here training then of course your fine."

"What do you want?" Rukia asked with little patience.

"I came to check on you." He said.

"Oh, how sweet." Rukia said sarcastically. "But you didn't even ask how I was doing."

He placed his hand on her head and applied pressure as he said, "I already know that you're doing fine. That's why I didn't ask."

Rukia hit his hand away with annoyance and said, "If you know I'm fine then you have no reason to be here."

Orihime giggled beside them as Renji's temper raised a little. "Then how about we spar a bit? I want to see if you've improved at all."

"Ha, you wouldn't even last a minute against me." Rukia said.

"Oh?" Renji said clearly irritated by her attitude. "Let's go then."

He started off for the circular arena as he unsheathed his zanpakutou. Rukia followed close behind him ignoring all of Orihime's protests. As they got there Renji released his shikai and Rukia did the same before they picked up their guard. It was clear that there would be little actual holding back in the match. They were both close in strength and could have an actual fight against each other if they fought fair and Renji didn't release his bankai against her.

They took up their stances and for a moment they remained still. They both knew how the other one fought. Renji used ranged attacks which Rukia could easily counter with kidou and gain an advantage since she excelled at it while Renji couldn't use it well. As Renji's zanpakutou started to separate Rukia attacked him.

She got close to force him into close combat and out of his comfort zone. Their blades locked before Renji's had a chance to separate completely. She forced his sword to revert to its normal state as she pushed him back. He jumped back to put distance between them but it was useless as Rukia was right after him again.

Their blades clashed relentlessly and Renji kept getting pushed back until he started his attacks. Now Rukia was being pushed back a little. She was pushed back until she got to the center of the circle before Renji jumped back and began his ranged attacks. Each one was dodged successfully and never got near his target.

Orihime watched with a mix of concern and awe as she watched Rukia move faster then she had ever seen her move before. Each of Renji's attacks were completely avoided flawlessly as if they were a joke. But Rukia had never been this fast before at least not from what Orihime had seen. With her increase of speed Orihime didn't know whether it was a good thing or something to be concerned about since it wasn't anything really bad it was just a sudden change.

Renji's temper rose tremendously as Rukia continued to toy with him. She wasn't even taking this seriously. He grit his teeth in anger as he attacked her once more. This time she didn't jump away to dodge it she just stepped aside and it went right past her. His eyes narrowed at her cocky attitude towards this match and decided to take it up a notch.

He shifted his zanpakutou as it retracted so when it came past her face he would cut her. But as it grazed her skin nothing happened. It was as if his blade was dull. Not even a mark was made on her cheek nor did she even seem to notice. "Are you done warming up?"

Renji's temper reached a new high as he lashed out at her once more but this time instead of moving to dodge it or even avoid it as simply blocked it with her sword. She didn't move back at all as Renji's zanpakutou closed as he continued to try and push her back with his attack. Rukia shifted her sword before pushing it forward and forcing Renji's to retract once more.

Rukia stood her ground and waited for his next attack but Renji just rested his zanpakutou on his shoulder. She took up her guard even if he was relaxed. There had been so many openings in his attacks that she could have exploited but decided to allow him to warm up first but now that he had he wasn't attacking her. She watched him curiously as she awaited his next move.

"Are you already done?" She asked.

"No, I'm waiting on you." He replied.

Rukia scoffed as she went at him. As she got closer Renji's zanpakutou began to separate as he brought it down on her. She did her best to block it but felt the blade sink into her shoulder regardless of her attempt before he removed it to attack her again. She jumped aside to avoid it but barely got away. Renji was attacking her like this was a real fight now and he wasn't holding back on his attacks.

As his sword retracted more then one of the outward blades grazed her cheek and this time it left a small cut. But it was deeper then the first one was intended to be. Blood streamed down her cheek as she attacked him. He countered with his own attack but she dodged it and continued her own. Her blade pierced his shoulder and went straight through with ease.

He winced in pain before he swung his weapon at her again. She used shunpo to dodge it quickly as blood began to pour out of his wound. They stood waiting for the next move to be made by their opponent. When neither one made a move Renji smirked and said, "What's wrong? Are you getting scared?"

"You wish," Rukia said harshly.

She lunged at him and as predicted he attacked to stop her. She got behind him using shunpo and allowed her blade to cut a shallow wound along his back. He jumped away quickly but soon found that he was being pursued. He turned to attack but his blade was knocked away with ease and Rukia's blade found his flesh once more.

This time Renji used shunpo to get away from her. He came to a stop quite a distance away and far from the boundary of the circle but the arena had long since been forgotten. There were no more boundaries in this sparing match as much as this was no longer just a sparring match. It had escalated into a real battle a while ago.

Onlookers were amazed by the two opponents as they fought each other oblivious as to how serious the fight was really getting. The match had drawn quite a crowd and all other training activities had stopped so they could observe this. But two of the onlookers had noticed the seriousness in the attacks as well as the wounds even if they weren't life threatening. It was just a matter of time before the worsened.

Renji held his zanpakutou straight out at Rukia who waited for his next move. His zanpakutou changed from its shikai form into its bankai from. He allowed it to snake around in hopes of intimidation but Rukia was unfazed and uncaring as she simple raised her guard. It was only a moment before Renji sent his weapon at Rukia, who took it head on.

She was pushed back a few feet before she jumped to try and avoid it but it went right after her. It came at her relentlessly no matter how much she dodged and avoided it. Its speed increased and caught Rukia off guard forcing her to block it but the force of it sent her back down to the ground. Its weight crushed her as she did her best to fend it off.

It soon became clear to Rukia that she couldn't just outrun this on her own nor could she defeat Renji while he used his bankai. But right as she came to this realization her basic instincts came to her and she began to put her weight and strength into her sword as she forced Zabimaru away from her. It got far enough for her to remove herself from its force as she began to rely solely on her instincts.

Fear ran through Orihime as there was the sound of Zabimaru hitting the ground and a small cloud of dirt rose from the force of the impact. It felt like forever to her before Zabimaru lifted from the ground and began to coil itself around Renji as everyone waited to see movement from the calming cloud of dirt. But when it had first formed Rukia's reiatsu had vanished completely.

It seemed obvious that she had been defeated but as the dust settled there was no sign of her anywhere. Orihime stood up in fear as she searched everything in sight for her and everything in range for her reiatsu. Her eyes widened as she noticed Zabimaru's head begin to freeze. All attention was on the forming ice as Zabimaru's head fell to the ground completely frozen.

When it was a few feet from the ground Rukia jumped out of its mouth and attacked Renji once more. There was an outburst of surprise from many onlookers and everyone was impressed with that move. As their blades met Zabimaru broke free of the ice and came down on both of them forcing them to retreat. It went after Rukia with a new form of rage as she continued to retreat from it.

Zabimaru was much faster then Rukia and it was clear to everyone that watched it prepare to bring its fangs down in her. She continued jumping back in an attempt to put distance but it proved to be useless as it kept gaining on her. Suddenly she stopped and pointed at it as if to use a kidou. But to use a kidou on something that side was just a waste of time.

Rukia's eyes narrowed as Zabimaru neared her. A small red ball of energy formed at her fingers and grew to the size of a softball as she said, "_Cero_."

Everyone watched in a growing amount of fear and confusion as a blast of energy was shot from Rukia towards Zabimaru. The attack hit it head on and shattered it with the sheer power of it. It went straight through Zabimaru with ease and shattered every piece of it as it got closer to Renji. Before it got close to him however Captain Ukitake jumped in front of it with his zanpakutou drawn and blocked it.

He struggled with it for a moment before he was able to divert it away. Everyone stood stunned at the turn of events as it became clear that a hollow technique had been used. Orihime wasted no time in running over to Rukia's side. Before she made it anywhere close to her Ukitake was there and picking up her unconscious body. He brought Rukia over towards Orihime as she slowed to a stop.

Her eyes widened as she noticed smoke rising from her wounds. Orihime's concern grew to a new level as Ukitake walked past her towards the small hill that they were on. She followed close behind him as Renji appeared at the hill with his zanpakutou in its sealed form. Only a quarter of the blade remained and the rest had been destroyed. He was clearly concerned for Rukia as well.

As Rukia was placed down a few other soul reapers arrived in response of the cero that had been released. They were all in a panic as they believed a hollow had gotten into the Seireitei. Ukitake went to reassure them that everything was fine. Orihime brought up her inner shield to heal her wounds but soon found that they were gone.

She wiped the blood away from her cheek and found that there wasn't even anything that suggested that she was wounded other then the blood that had come from the wound. Her inner shield moved away from Rukia and went to Renji instead to heal his wounds. He sheathed the remains of his zanpakutou as he said, "Thanks, Orihime."

Orihime nodded absentmindedly as Rukia shifted in discomfort. Her eyes opened slowly as she sat up. She looked around as if she had no idea where she was right now. Her hand groped around as she searched for her zanpakutou. When she found it she gripped the hilt tightly. Orihime placed her hand on her shoulder to put her at ease.

Rukia looked over at her with a look of fear, "Orihime."

She closed her eyes as if she were in pain and brought her hand to her forehead and hunched over. Orihime rubbed her back soothingly in hopes of helping her relax. Her concern grew as Rukia began to shake a little. Ukitake was next to her as well now and placed his hand on her shoulder, "Are you alright, Rukia?"

She just shook her head, "What happened?"

"You shot a cero at me." Renji said from behind Orihime.

She looked over at him with a growing fear before her eyes lowered to meet Orihime's. Her fear grew even more at the look of concern in the girls eyes. Rukia dropped her hand to claim the others. Their grip on the other was tight as they feared losing each other because of this growing problem. Tears rolled down Orihime's face even as she tried to keep them at bay.

Rukia released her zanpakutou immediately to wipe away the tears as she said, "Everything will be okay, Orihime."

Orihime nodded weakly. She trusted her words despite what had just happened and what she had witnessed. Rukia smiled as warmly as possible and Orihime did her best to return it. Ukitake stood up and began dispersing the crowd that had gathered. They didn't leave willingly but departed after a few minutes and a few arguments and protests.

As the crowds dispersed Rukia's smile warmed a little as her fear died down a bit. It wasn't much but it was enough to put Orihime at ease as her smile warmed as well. Rukia's smile disappeared as Renji walked around Orihime with his arms crossed. "You gave me one hell of a scare back there."

"I'm sorry," Rukia said. "I didn't even really realize what I was doing. I was just fighting on my instincts and then it just happened. The cero just came to me out of instinct."

"It seems that it wasn't just a temporary boost in power that you got from those hollows." Captain Ukitake said. "You may have gotten some of their abilities as well."

Rukia fell silent and lowered her gaze to the ground as her Captain continued, "Your speed and strength have definitely increased dramatically for you to be able to take on a bankai with only your shikai. Your wounds have healed without any treatment as well and I don't have to mention the cero."

"The first time I tried to cut you my blade didn't even do anything to you." Renji said.

Orihime's grip on Rukia's hand tightened a little as she said, "What's going to happen to her now?"

Captain Ukitake let out a long sigh, "That depends on how much hollow is really inside of her. If it's just what we know right now then it should be fine but it would be wise to keep our earlier conversation quiet."

"Yeah," Rukia agreed immediately but didn't look up from the ground. "I think I should go lay down for a bit."

Rukia picked up her zanpakutou as Orihime helped her to her feet. She sheathed her sword as she began to feel dizzy. Her legs wobbled a bit and she fell into Orihime, who more then willingly supported her weight. Orihime held her close afraid of letting her fall. Rukia wrapped her arms around the girl's waist and kindly said, "Thank you, Orihime."

"Anytime," Orihime replied kindly. "I'll always be here for you."

Their embrace became a little more intimate but not enough for the other two to notice. It was only a moment before their embrace became more supportive as Orihime helped Rukia walk back to the closest building to them. It wasn't far away but it would take a bit of time to get there. They were escorted by Captain Ukitake and Renji.

"Do you want me to carry you, Rukia?" Renji offered.

"I'm fine." She said even though she didn't feel it.

Her body felt heavy and just taking a step was difficult for her but she wasn't about to say that and worry them more then she already was. It was bad enough so many people had seen what had happened but to have Orihime here as well and for her to be doing so much was more then she could take. She knew very well that she would have to try and give the girl a more detailed explanation on what had happened and what went through her head when she used the cero.

When they got to the building a hell butterfly arrived for Captain Ukitake. They stopped and waited for news of its message. He was silent for a moment before he glanced over at the others with an apologetic smile. "It seems there's a meeting."

"Do they already know?" Rukia asked.

"Judging by the power of the cero I'm sure everyone noticed it." Renji said. "It was enough to destroy my bankai."

Her eyes widened in shock as he unsheathed the remains of his zanpakutou. She was clueless as to how she had managed to do that. Even when he had fought against espadas she had never known his zanpakutou to be defeated to this state. But now she had done it with a power that she shouldn't even have yet somehow managed to obtain.

"Renji," Captain Ukitake started. "It might be best to keep that a secret for now as well. At least so we can determine if these powers can be controlled."

"Of course," He said.

Ukitake smiled gratefully before he took his leave. Renji remained behind and continued to escort the two girls to a small room in the building. It was a small lounge ment for resting if someone pushed themselves too much and needed a place to relax and regain their energy. Orihime brought Rukia over to a wide couch so she could rest.

Rukia removed her zanpakutou before sitting down to relax. Her eyes were getting pretty heavy on her as sleep threatened to take her. It wasn't long before Orihime noticed and laid her down so she could rest comfortably. Rukia smiled up at her before her eyes became too heavy for her to keep them open. She was still awake but was too tired to do anything more then just lay there.

Orihime watched Rukia lovingly and completely unaware that she was still awake right now. She soon forgot about the extra presence in the room with them until Renji said, "You two seemed to have gotten pretty close recently."

She looked over at him almost blankly, "What do you mean?"

"I mean if I didn't know any better I'd say you two were in a relationship or something." He said then offered a laugh. "But Rukia's far too uptight to fall for anyone anymore. Not after what happened before."

"What happened before?" Orihime asked curiously.

"It's not really my place to say on this matter." Renji said.

"What if the two of us were in a relationship?" Orihime asked. "Would you tell me then?"

"Then it would be even less of my place to say." Renji said with a sigh. "Enough with the jokes though."

Orihime gave him an odd look as he let out another sigh and stood up, "I should get back to work. I've got a mountain of paperwork to do."

He left the room without another word and Orihime brought all her attention back to Rukia as she took her hand more freely now as no one was here to witness their intimacy. A slight smile formed on her face as she leaned down and placed a kiss on Rukia's forehead. When she pulled away she was a little surprised to see the warm smile on Rukia's face. The sight of the smile made her blush a little as she smiled warmly down at Rukia.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer; I do not own bleach or any of the characters.

Chapter – 8

Rukia slowly opened her eyes and found Orihime cuddled up to her. She smiled warmly and wrapped an arm around her gently in hopes that she wouldn't disturb the girl's sleep. Orihime made a slight humming sound, "Are you awake now?"

"Yes," Rukia replied softly. "Did you get any sleep?"

"No, I was just wanted to lay with you." Orihime said. "I wasn't tired at all."

Rukia tightened her embrace on the girl a little. Her chest warmed as Orihime snuggled up to her immediately. A strong blush formed on Rukia's face as she felt the other girl's breast against her own and her leg wrap around her own. Now it was her that was quickly becoming nervous with their intimacy. She knew that Orihime wasn't ready for anything more then kissing and holding but this was a little tempting for her.

She wanted to do more to Orihime then just hold her. She wanted her hands to explore her soft skin and let her tongue explore her body just as much as her hands. Every line and every muscle on this girl's body Rukia wanted in her knowledge. Even her scent and her taste she wanted to know. She wanted to know everything about the girl that was in her arms right now.

Her embrace tightened a little as she placed a kiss on the girls head. She giggled in response before raising herself up for a proper kiss. They shared a warm smile before their lips met. Rukia licked Orihime's lips a little for permission to enter but the girl was too taken aback to do anything so she kept asking with her tongue.

After a moment Orihime opened her mouth. Rukia entered without hesitation as she pulled the girl closer. She was in full control as her tongue traced the girl's mouth despite her growing nervousness with the new actions. As one of Rukia's arms lowered to Orihime's lower back her body tensed immediately. It wasn't long after that that she pulled away with a very deep blush.

Orihime quickly looked away with growing embarrassment. Rukia just smiled lovingly as she turned the girl's gaze back on her. "It's alright, Orihime. I won't ever harm you."

She nodded weakly, "I know you won't, but I'm still not ready for that kind of stuff."

"And I won't go that far." Rukia said reassuringly. "I already told you that we'd take things slow."

Orihime nodded slowly and Rukia smiled up at her and said, "Don't worry so much. We'll do those things when you're ready for it not before."

"Thank you, Rukia." Orihime said kindly.

She lowered herself and they kissed once more. They lingered in it for a moment before Orihime's tongue asked for entry. Rukia gladly gave her access and welcomed all the actions even if they were guessed. She led the girl's tongue with her own and showed her what to do with it. After a moment Orihime's grip on Rukia's shoulder tightened a little before she loosened her grip and let her hand trace the hem of her robes almost seductively.

Rukia's heart raced as Orihime was boldly asking permission to go further even if she was unaware of what she was doing. She pulled her close to deny access for the time being even though she would gladly give her access anytime she wished for it. Orihime wasn't ready so she was denied the request she didn't know she was even making.

When the two parted they shared a warm and loving smile before Rukia tried to sit up. Orihime got off her immediately so she could sit comfortably on the couch. As their eyes met once more they smiled at each other again. But as Rukia thought about why she was in this room her smile began to fade and she realized that she would have to speak with her Captain once more and see what would become of her.

"Is everything alright, Rukia?" Orihime asked.

"I was just thinking about what's going to happen now." Rukia said. "It might be best if you returned to the material world."

"What? No, I want to stay here with you." Orihime said frantically. "I don't want to be anywhere that you're not."

"Orihime, I don't know what's going to happen to me now and I don't want to drag you into anything." Rukia said calmly.

"We're in a relationship so whatever you go through I'm going to be right beside you no matter what." Orihime said. "Besides, you're not dragging me into anything. I'm here right now because I want to be and nothing will ever change that."

"I don't know what's going to happen and I don't want you to get hurt." Rukia said.

"Then why are you suggesting that I leave?" Orihime asked. "I want to be with you, Rukia. Don't make me leave."

Rukia took Orihime's hand with her own as she leaned over and kissed her. They didn't linger in the kiss for very long before they separated and Rukia stood up. She looked down at Orihime and said, "Let's go see my Captain then. We should see how things went in the meeting."

Orihime nodded immediately and stood up as well. They shared a warm smile before leaving the room in silence. They continued to hold hands as the walked down the hallways no longer caring about keeping their relationship a secret. The love they shared with each other shouldn't be hidden from others even if they didn't approve. If they didn't like it then they didn't have to.

They didn't meet many on their walk but the ones they did meet did seem a little surprised at the sight of the two girls holding hands but it was to be expected however. Not only where they two girls but a soul reaper and a human. It had never happened before, or at least not in Rukia's knowledge. If it had happened before it was something that wasn't spoken of. That may be a cause of concern for them and may lead to various difficulties and challenges in the future.

As they reached the Captain's office however they released the other's hand and entered cautiously as they steeled themselves for the worst case scenario. As they walked into the office they found Captain Ukitake looking out the window while Captain Kyouraku leaned on the desk and also looked in the direction of the window. It didn't seem like the two had noticed the guests that they had.

"How are you feeling, Rukia?" Captain Kyouraku asked. "I heard you gave Jyuushiro quite a scare earlier."

"I'm fine, Captain Kyouraku." Rukia replied.

"That's good to hear." He replied. "And how are you, Orihime? I wasn't even aware that you were still here."

"Yes, well," She started but didn't exactly know how to finish. "About that…"

She was too nervous to continue as she offered an awkward laugh. Rukia glanced over at her with a slightly amused smile as she finished what the girl had tried to say, "The two of us are in a relationship."

The two girls shared a loving smile as the two Captains looked over at them. They held a slight look of shock on their face before Kyouraku smiled and said, "Prove it."

Orihime's face paled a little in her embarrassment while Rukia just chuckled. She leaned over and kissed the girl on the cheek making her lose any form of paleness as a full blush covered her face. She then looked back over at the Captains with a chuckle and said, "Anymore then that would be too much for her."

Kyouraku burst out laughing at Orihime's embarrassment of the situation as she tried to hide her blush with her hand. Ukitake offered no laugh as his expression became serious. He watched the two carefully for a moment before he spoke, "Coming out about this may not be a good thing right now. Not with the current situation."

"So we're just supposed to sneak around until everything gets settles then?" Rukia asked angrily.

"Everyone already knows about what happened during your little match against Renji and they already estimated the power of it." Ukitake said. "As long as you can control these things it should be fine but if this gets out of control I won't be have any influence on what Captain Yamamoto decides."

"I'm aware of that, Sir." Rukia said as Orihime nervously took her hand. "I'm not asking you to look out for me."

"If things get bad it may put Orihime in danger." He stressed. "I know you wouldn't want that."

"Of course not," Rukia said. "I've already expressed my concern and she may return home whenever she wants to. I'm not forcing her to stay here."

"I'm not going anywhere." Orihime said. "I already told you that, Rukia."

"Such loyalty," Kyouraku said almost fondly.

"You're not helping, Shunsui." Ukitake said with a sigh.

"Oh, am I supposed to be?" He asked with mild amusement. "Let them enjoy being in love while they're still young. That's the best time to enjoy it."

"Yes, but with the situation it would be best to take caution and not attract too much attention." Ukitake said. "This needs to be handled delicately."

"You worry too much, Jyuushiro." Kyouraku said with a yawn. "Just relax and have some sake."

"Am I the only one taking this seriously?" He asked as he looked at everyone in the room in turn.

Orihime squeezed Rukia's hand to voicelessly show her concern in the matter. Rukia glanced over at her and found how deep her concern really was so she said, "Sir, you're not the only one that's concerned in this matter. But you're the only one voicing it. What happens to me is something I can't really decide so I'm just going to do what I can in the meantime. Even if that means living the best I can while I can."

Orihime looked over at her frightened as Rukia openly accepted her undecided fate. She let out a sigh before she continued, "If things take a turn for the worst then I'll accept it. It's all I can do but if it put's Orihime in danger then I won't stand for it."

"What will you do?" Kyouraku asked. "Will you try and make a run for it?"

"If that's the only way to keep Orihime safe then that's what I'll do." Rukia said with complete determination.

"Where do you plan on going if you have to run?" Kyouraku asked.

"Wherever I can," Rukia said bluntly as Orihime's grip on her hand tightened.

"And if we chase you?" He asked as Ukitake took a seat at his desk.

"Then I'll keep running." Rukia said.

"What if we catch you?" Ukitake asked.

"I'll fight to protect Orihime." Rukia said bluntly. "If it's necessary I'll give myself up for her safety."

Orihime lowered her head a little catching Rukia's attention. She looked over to see tears roll down her cheeks. Rukia immediately released her hand to wipe away all the tears that dared stain her face. Orihime smiled gratefully at the care she was getting but it did nothing to end her sorrow of the current situation. "I'm really sorry, Orihime but you need to go home. It's for the best right now."

"I'll have Nanao escort you." Kyouraku said. "She is more than capable and already here."

The doors open behind the two girls giving them a bit of a surprise as Vice-Captain Nanao walked over to her Captain as he continued to relax on the far side of the room. "I knew I'd find you lazing around in here. Stop bothering others and get to work."

"Ah, my sweet Nanao, you're just the girl I wanted to see." He said sweetly. "I have a small job for you."

"Get off your ass and do it yourself." She snapped at him.

"I would do it but I don't need a lecture from old-man Yama." He said. "Just bring Orihime back to the material world."

"I'm not going back to the human world." Orihime protested getting Nanao's attention.

Rukia placed a hand on her cheek and smiled up at her, "Orihime, it's for the best. Please forgive me for this."

She released the girl's face and took a step back before leaving the room with shunpo. Nanao's eyes widened as she completely lost track of Rukia's reiatsu. What she had just used to leave, not just the room but the area itself, was not shunpo as she had first believed. It was a technique used by arrancar and espada's. Her Captain whistled from behind her and she gave him an automatic glare as she was so accustomed to his sexual harassment but his gaze was out the window.

"She went pretty far away." He said with a slight smile as he looked over at Ukitake. "You think she figured out what she just did?"

"It's probably giving her a scare right now." Ukitake said. "To think she can use _sonido_ as well and to do so with such ease and proficiency."

"So the rumors are true." Nanao said distantly.

"It's already getting around Seireitei?" Ukitake asked almost stunned at the spread of the news.

"It shouldn't surprise you, Jyuushiro. Not after that cero she used." Kyouraku said with a laugh.

"That was Rukia?" Nanao asked. "She's capable of something of that power?"

"You should get going Nanao." Kyouraku said as he lowered his straw hat to cover more of his face. "No more questions either."

Nanao walked back across the room to fetch Orihime, who was on her knees in tears. She bent down to offer her comfort as Ukitake glanced over and said, "Nanao, just go and don't ask questions. We'll explain everything later but can you take her to Yoruichi and request that she looks out for Orihime until matters get settled? If necessary tell her what you already know then give her my apology."

She looked to her Captain, who nodded and said, "Be quick, I don't know when we'll have company."

"Yes, Sir." She said as she got Orihime to her feet forced her out of the office.

Orihime struggled to get away from Nanao but it was useless no matter how hard she tried to fight against it. Her struggle lasted until they got out of the building itself. She would have to get away and back to Rukia as soon as she could even if she had to make it on her own and sneak around Seireitei until they found each other. But would Rukia still be there when Orihime got close or would she flee again?

There was no guaranty that she would still be there when Orihime got to where she went. The worst part about the situation was that Rukia had already admitted that she would accept her fate no matter what it was. The only reason she would try to live was to keep Orihime out of danger but by her leaving Soul Society she would be out of danger so Rukia would be more willing to give up her life.

It was hard to think about after they had been through so much and struggled so hard to be together and now Rukia was ready to give up everything if that's what was decided. As much as Orihime tried to figure out why she would be so willing to do that it was useless because no matter what reason she thought of it just didn't make any sense.

Vice Captain Nanao held a firm grip on Orihime's arm to prevent her from struggling too much or trying to run away. It was clear that she would try first chance she got and with the tears in her eyes right now just proved that all her attempts would be desperate as well as unorganized and futile. It was likely that she would just start flailing in her attempted to get her arm free then she would run.

But she must know that to run would be useless since Nanao was much faster than her and she was acting out of orders so no matter what Orihime tried it would be pointless. Nanao was pretty strict when it came to orders or work and even if she wasn't too fond of her Captain he was her superior and she would follow his orders unless it was harassment, then she normally hit him.

* * *

Rukia leaned against a tree in a deep forest outside of the Seireitei itself as she looked at her hands in shock. For her to travel that distance so easily should be impossible. The last time she was in Soul Society, not even two weeks ago she wouldn't have even made it to the perimeter of the Seireitei without having to pull out of her shunpo. But what she just did was far from shunpo and she knew that.

She knew it would be best to learn how to control these hollow abilities that she had gained. If she couldn't control them then she would have to get rid of them even though she liked the idea of being faster and a lot stronger. Even the healing and hierro sounded nice to have. But just how much had she changed? That was a question that she needed to answer but she knew she couldn't test everything here. The cero would have to be tested far from any prying eyes.

She unsheathed her sword and gripped the blade with one hand and applied enough pressure to cut her skin. But there was no blood and no wound being made. She increased her grip until she was using all of her strength. As the pain became unbearable she released the blade and looked at her hand. It was red from the force she used and there were indents from the blade but no punctured skin.

She disregarded it however as she considered the fact that her zanpakutou might not harm her so she decided to test her strength next. She walked over to a tree and readied her sword. Before, if she were to attack a tree of this size her blade would barely do any damage and just get stuck. If she was stronger then she would do more damage then have an even harder time getting her blade out.

Rukia took a deep breath and focused on the target and swung her sword with all her strength. Her eyes widened as her sword went all the way through the tree and hit the ground before the tree slowly started to fall. This was her next test. She took off to the side and kept going until she heard the tree hit the ground. When it did she came to a stop and glanced back.

The cloud of dust that it had stirred was barely even visible to her now. She looked at her hand once more in disbelief of this new strength and speed. Now all she had to test she couldn't do with what she had and where she was. For her wounds she would have to find another weapon or a fight. Then a slight thought occurred to her. Would she be able to open a Garganta as well or would that not be possible?

She sheathed her zanpakutou and closed her eyes to focus. First she searched the area for any nearby presence just incase she could do this it would cause even more problems if it were witnessed especially with the questions that were already undoubtedly being raised about her now. When the coast seemed to be clear she focused on trying to open the gate since they were able to be opened anywhere as long as the person had the ability.

If it did work then this might just come in handy in the future. But this would be completely different from using the Senkaimon to travel around. The Garganta could be used anywhere and could go anywhere so it might be difficult to get used to and the only one that might help her with it was Halibel but there was no way of asking her for help unless she went to Hueco Mundo and she had no way…

A strange noise made her open her eyes. She jumped back and reached for her zanpakutou as the Garganta opened close to where she was just standing. It could have been her that opened it or it could have been a coincidence that it opened where she was standing. But as it opened fully it proved to be empty. She hesitantly approached it to investigate as she unsheathed her sword a little.

There was nothing inside it so she curiously stepped inside as she wondered where it would take her. Her hand didn't stray from the hilt of her zanpakutou. She glanced back at the gate behind her and found that it remained open. As she wondered how to close it the gate closed automatically. It was either another coincidence or it was controlled by thought.

She continued through the closed space with ease though cautious of any form of threat. Regardless of the powers she had obtained from the hollows she was still a soul reaper and would be one until she died. That was one thing that would never change no matter what powers she may possess now or in the future. The other end of the gate began to open automatically without her even thinking about it.

Rukia soon found herself looking out over a bright sky on a large balcony overlooking a desert and other buildings. Some had been destroyed while others remained intact. She looked over at the destruction sadly as she began to feel a loss at the sight of this place. That was until she felt a blade against the side of her neck. "How did you get here?"

She slowly released her zanpakutou and raised her hands into the sight of whoever stood behind her. She didn't turn or make any sudden movements at all. "I came here using a Garganta."

"You're a soul reaper. That's not possible." She said coolly.

"Neither is this." Rukia said as she pointed across from her. She tried to focus on pouring her reiatsu into her fingers as she said _"Cero"_

It formed and shot off into the distance surprising both of them as it tore through a building and the artificial sky that had been built by Aizen. Rukia slowly turned around and found the arrancar that hadn't been awake during the fight with Aizen, which was why she hadn't recognized her but behind her was Halibel and her other two arrancar.

"It seems I may have acquired some hollow abilities when you channeled your reiatsu through me." Rukia said calmly. "I just need answers on how to control this power and how to use the gate properly. I was testing it out and it brought me here."

"The Descorrer brings you where you want to go." Halibel said. "You knew we could give you answers for these things and that's what you want so that's why you're here. Next time you use it though, I suggest you focus on a place rather than a person. It can be a great inconvenience for you as well as them as you may have noticed."

"Yes, I apologize for the sudden appearance but I don't know what to do." Rukia said. "If I can't control this I may be executed just for having these powers. Though, it's likely that my execution is already being planned as we speak."

"So you thought you could hide here?" Apacci said angrily. "We don't want anymore soul reapers here."

"Again I apologize." Rukia said. "But I don't know where else to go now."

"It's fine." Halibel said. "I admit I was curious about any changes that may have occurred. Perhaps you could shed some light on these things. Come inside."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer; I do not own bleach or any of the characters.

Chapter -9

Vice-Captain Nanao walked into Urahara's shop while she continued to drag Orihime by the arm despite all the struggles the girl had put up. But once they had entered the material world she just stopped. Though her struggles may have stopped her tears had only gotten worse and they streamed down her face steadily.

Nanao brought her to the counter where Urahara took a nap. She brought her hand onto the counter making more then enough noise to wake him up. He glanced up at her lazily before straightening up, "What brings you here?"

"I'm looking for Yoruichi." Nanao said.

"She's in the back." He replied with a yawn. "Go on in."

She bowed and dragged Orihime towards the back. The two didn't speak to each other or even share a glance. Nanao was just following her orders and nothing more then that. They walked down the back hall as Orihime began to struggle once more. It wasn't too hard to find Yoruichi as she walked out of the room she was in then almost went past them before she was stopped.

"Yoruichi, my Captain has asked for your assistance in looking after Orihime." Nanao said.

Yoruichi looked at Orihime's tear stained face and knew immediately that something had happened. She remained quiet for a moment as the girl's tears slowed in their decent. When she calmed she averted her gaze to the wall as Yoruichi let out a sigh, "What happened?"

"It's more about Rukia then Orihime so I don't know why she's so upset." Nanao said. "All I really know of the situation is mainly just rumors that are proving to be true."

"What are these rumors?" Yoruichi asked.

"Rukia has developed hollow abilities." Nanao said. "It hasn't been determined how but for Orihime's safety my Captain as well as Captain Ukitake has requested that you keep Orihime safe until matters settle. That is all I know on the situation but Captain Ukitake sends his apologies as well."

"I see," Yoruichi said. "Fine, I'll do it but tell them they owe me one."

She took Orihime by the arm to relieve the Vice-Captain and brought her back to the room she came from where she stopped and glanced back down the hall as Nanao was already leaving. Yoruichi stopped her as she called, "Is there anything else I should know about this situation?"

Nanao glanced back and said, "Rukia took off and she may be imprisoned or executed."

"When you say she took off," Yoruichi started. "Where exactly did she go?"

"She left Seireitei so Orihime wouldn't get involved in this situation anymore then she already is." Nanao answered. "I don't know why Orihime would be mixed up in this as well. I wasn't informed on that matter. All I know about the situation I have already told you."

"All right," Yoruichi said and forced Orihime into the room as Nanao took her leave. She brought the girl to the table and sat her down on the far side of the table before going back to the other end and took a seat. Orihime watched the door almost longingly but knew it would be impossible to escape. "So do you want to tell me what's going on, Orihime?"

She didn't answer the question so Yoruichi stood up and went to a small cabinet at the side of the room. She searched around for a few things before returning to the table. She placed down a bottle of sake and a couple of cups. As she poured the drinks Orihime watched her carefully. It confused her that Yoruichi had brought two cups when Orihime wasn't legal to drink.

Yoruichi placed one cup in front of herself and the second at the side of the table. It was soon clear why she had done so as Urahara came into the room and took a seat with them. The woman met the girl's eyes once more as she raised the cup to her lips and asked, "What's going on at Soul Society?"

She took a sip of the sake but her eyes never left Orihime's. "Nanao told you what was happening."

"Yes, but why are you involved so much?" Yoruichi asked.

"Rukia and I are in a relationship." Orihime said nervously as a blush formed on her face and she looked away. "I didn't want to leave but I was forced to after Rukia left."

"Nice time to ask her out." Yoruichi said with a chuckle.

"Like your one to talk, Yoruichi." Urahara said as he sipped his sake. "At least they got somewhere."

"Shut up," Yoruichi said as she hit him on the shoulder. "I lost consciousness alright. That doesn't mean I didn't get anywhere."

"But you still haven't heard anything and you're too chicken to go get an answer." He laughed.

Orihime watched them blankly as they continued to argue. They argued for a few minutes before they stopped and brought their attention back to Orihime, who had brought her gaze back to the door. If these two continued drinking and arguing she may be able to get away from them but she didn't know how to work a Senkaimon so she couldn't get to Soul Society but maybe Ichigo could help her get back.

"So then," Yoruichi began. "You're in a relationship with Rukia and she's developing powers that she shouldn't possess and the Gotei 13 aren't happy about it so they're acting on it."

Orihime nodded as she brought her attention back to Yoruichi. "That's what's going on but Captain Ukitake seems to think that if she can control it then she will be fine."

"Well that's pleasant thinking." Urahara said as he refilled his cup. "However, Yamamoto is very strict when it comes to these things and even if Rukia can control this new power it's unlikely that he'll go along with it."

"Will she try to run if they go after her?" Yoruichi asked.

"Rukia said she would accept her fate unless it put me in danger. So if I'm here then she'll just give up." Orihime said.

"I think Byakuya's rubbing off on her." Urahara said with a laugh as he looked over at Yoruichi. "Maybe you shouldn't have picked on him so much when he was a kid."

Orihime watched as the two laughed at the past. Soon her gaze was back at the door as she wished that she could leave and go back to Rukia's side. But she didn't even know where Rukia was or how much she was moving now. If she had returned to the Seireitei was she safe or had she decided to run after all? If she was running then where would she even go? Would she try and find help or would she hide from everyone?

As the laughter quieted down the two returned to being serious once more as they went deep into thought. After a moment Urahara let out a sigh and said, "Rukia's a logical person and if she is going to try and control her powers she would try to find someone that knew how to do so."

Orihime's eyes widened almost fearfully as she realized that if Rukia would search out help that meant she would go to Hueco Mundo. But if she did that then she would be putting herself in even more danger then she already was. Rukia would be casting herself as a traitor. Tears rolled down her cheeks once more as she realized what would happen to her if anyone found out about it.

It wasn't long before she broke down into tears and cried on the table. Yoruichi was right beside her with an arm around her to try and calm the girl's tears but to no avail. The tears kept falling as her mind went over all the things that would happen to Rukia if she were caught. She didn't want to think about it but it was all that went through her head now.

* * *

Rukia sat at a long white table and had discussed everything that she knew about her new powers. Halibel had listened quietly but her arrancar had pressed questions when they found it was necessary. They had come to a conclusion that Rukia may have gotten the power from all of them which was why her abilities were so advanced and powerful.

They had remained quiet for some time as Halibel decided what they should do next. It was clear that Rukia couldn't stay in Hueco Mundo for much longer with the growing suspicion around her and it was also clear that this visit would remain a secret even if it could save her life. She wouldn't even be able to talk to Orihime about this or anyone about her ability to use a Descorrer at will.

"I want to see these new abilities you have now." Halibel said. "You have already shown your use of cero and Descorrer so that's unnecessary but I'd like to see everything else."

Halibel rose from her seat and the arrancar did the same. Rukia followed as they went towards the door but as they got close to it the door opened and a woman with long wavy green hair walked in. She went right to Halibel and said, "There's a lot of confusion about the cero that you fired, Halibel."

"It was your friend over there." Halibel said and glanced over at Rukia, who stood lost and confused to what was going on.

The green haired espada's eyes widened as they landed on Rukia. She was completely taken aback at the sight of a soul reaper there. At least that was what Rukia assumed until the espada spoke once more, "Rukia?"

Rukia's eyes widened as she began to recognize the espada. The hazel eyes, the red birth mark, and the scar that ran down her face. It was Nel, but she was no longer a child and her hair had grown and her mask had become less childish. She had grown a lot and had quite a shocking figure. Her espada outfit covered her completely and she wore a sword on her side.

"Nel, is that really you?" Rukia asked barely believing her eyes. "I can't believe it. You've changed so much."

"This is her true form." Halibel said. "She recently regained the strength to remain in this state and has returned to the ranks of espada."

"You were an espada before?" Rukia asked almost completely shocked at the news.

It would have been more of a shock to her if she hadn't witnessed the cero that she had shot off in the childlike state she was more familiar with. Nel smiled over at her and said, "I am the former Tercera. Now I'm the Primera."

Rukia looked over at Halibel curious as to what rank she was but if Nel had come to ask questions about the cero it was likely that Nel was a higher rank then her. A slight smile formed on Rukia's face as she realized that even as an adult Nel was still good natured and caring unlike the other hollows. Halibel looked back at Nel and said, "We'll have a meeting tonight and I'll offer an explanation but until then just tell them everything is fine."

Nel bowed to her and looked back at Rukia for a moment to offer a smile before she left the room. Halibel glanced back at Rukia and said, "I can assure you there will be no trouble from any arrancar or espada in the future. Things are changing under my rule."

"If you're the ruler then shouldn't you be the Primera?" Rukia asked.

"Halibel doesn't have a number." Apacci said angrily. "She's the leader now."

"Sorry, I don't know how your ranking system works." Rukia said. "In the Gotei 13 the Captain of Squad 1 is our leader so I thought it might be the same here."

"It is similar." Halibel said. "The Primera can control the others in my absence or under my command but they are all under my command as well."

"I see," Rukia said. "Out of curiosity, how many espadas are there now?"

"Enough," Halibel said and continued to the door.

The arrancar followed without word so Rukia did the same. They retraced their earlier steps and walked back to the large balcony that Rukia had arrived on. They walked in silence as Rukia become nervous with how long she had already been here and her mind began to focus on the pain she had inflicted on Orihime. There was no doubt in her mind that Orihime would be really upset with her for the way she took off on her.

As they reached the balcony Halibel walked to the edge and looked out over Las Noches. Rukia walked over to her side and looked out over it as well. Her sorrow increased as she saw the state it was in now. She felt bad for all the destruction that had been caused and she never considered all the work that would have to be done to rebuild it.

"I never once thought that I would look over Las Noches and see it like this." Halibel said. "It's even worse now that I rule over it."

"I'm sorry about all the damage we caused." Rukia said sadly. "It never occurred to me how much trouble it would be to rebuild everything but at the time the only thing I cared about was Orihime."

"Your feelings for her are strong." Halibel said. "I felt them through you. It felt nice but it's not something I would like to have."

Rukia looked over at her shocked that she had the same violation of privacy that she had at that time. She noticed that Halibel's eyes had softened considerably as if she was thinking about the feeling and really enjoying it. A slight shiver went down her spine as she thought of this espada recalling her feelings for Orihime at will but she could do the same about their past as well so she couldn't voice any protest about it. Halibel looked over at Rukia as her eyes became cold again. "What have you seen of our past?"

"It's all a bit of a blur but the only thing I can really recall clearly was your betrayal and five different points of view of the fight with Aizen. I'm really sorry about doubting you before." Rukia said truthfully. "Everything else is just fragments of memory and I don't know who they belong too. I'm not trying to invade your privacy with this and I want to get these memories out of my head because I have no right to carry them."

Halibel looked over at the building that Rukia had destroyed and said, "Meet me at that building."

Halibel took off instantly leaving Rukia a little taken aback but she followed close behind her. She didn't lose sight of the espada once as she followed her there. It wasn't long before they entered the building through the collapsed wall. Halibel came to a stop at the center of the room and Rukia stopped a few feet away from her. She looked around and felt a sob form in her throat as she recognized this room as the one that she had fought Aaroniero in.

"You picked the right building to use your cero on." Halibel said. "It might please you to know this building will be destroyed. It disgusts me to know how despicable Aaroniero really was in his fight against you. He used your emotions against you."

"You saw even that?" Rukia asked almost horrified.

She had restrained from looking into their past but they were looking into hers like she was an open book while she kept them closed. Halibel looked over at her and said, "We respected your privacy as you have ours but it seems anything with strong emotion was very clear to all of our eyes. You felt my hatred and rage and we felt your fear and sorrow as well as your love for the human. We saw your struggle to get to her as much as we didn't want to.

"It caused a lot of confusion when we awoke and I assumed you felt the same confusion when you awoke." Halibel said.

"I believed I was you this morning." Rukia said as she avoided Halibel's cold eyes.

Halibel moved a little catching Rukia's eye a little but when she looked back over at her all she saw was that Halibel had drawn her sword then she was gone. She sensed her presence behind her before a cut ran across her cheek. It was shallow but still drew blood regardless. She turned to face Halibel as she drew her blade.

Rukia picked up her guard and waited for the next move. If she had completely destroyed Renji's bankai then she should be able to at least stand a chance against this espada. She turned around and sheathed her sword leaving Rukia confused but her guard remained up as Halibel approached her. As she came within range she stopped and said, "Strike me."

Rukia was taken aback but complied and thrust her zanpakutou at Halibel's shoulder. The blade made contact but nothing happened. There was no punctured skin and no wound was made. The espada glanced down at the sword and said, "As I thought, your blade will not cut me anymore."

She removed the blade from her shoulder with ease and continued, "I heard your zanpakutou speak to me and felt its power when you shattered the ice. It will not harm me because of the power I lent you. It's unlikely that you could harm my fraccion but it is clear that we can still harm you."

Halibel wiped away the blood from Rukia's cheek and said, "This should heal soon. You mentioned earlier that you couldn't test this with your own blade."

"You could have said something first." Rukia said.

They remained silent for a moment as Halibel continued to wipe the blood away from Rukia's cheek so she could observe the wound more carefully as it began to feel warm to Rukia. She became a little nervous as the heat grew on her face. Halibel seemed to notice her discomfort and said, "If it feels warm then your wound is about to heal."

The wound began to burn and the pain faded as she noticed a bit of smoke in front of her eye. Halibel wiped away the last of the blood and said, "You wound is gone."

Rukia's eyes widened as she checked her cheek with her hand to make sure and found not even a trace of it or any pain. Even the warmth was starting to fade away to nothing. This proved that her wounds healed on their own, but what of her hierro? Did she even have that? If she did then why was Halibel able to cut her so easily? "What about hierro, how can I tell if I have that or not?"

"I can't help you with that one." Halibel stated. "My blade can cut through even the toughest of hierro. I will be of no help to you on that matter. You'll have to seek someone else for that."

Rukia fell silent for a moment before asking, "Is there anything else you can help me with?"

"No, you are on you own from here." Halibel replied as she turned to leave. "Return to Soul Society, I suggest you travel to an isolated area to avoid suspicion. A place only you know of."

"Halibel," Rukia called so she wouldn't leave right away. "If I have to take Orihime and run away from the Gotei 13 would I be safe with her here?"

"I can't speak for all the hollows in Hueco Mundo." She said. "You may hide here if necessary. I won't attack you but I won't protect you."

"Thank you." Rukia said kindly.

"Your human saved my life and the lives of my fraccion." Halibel said. "Though we returned the favor to you it doesn't change the fact that you saved our lives."

With that she disappeared and went back to her own building while Rukia remained behind in the building that she didn't even want to be close to. It did please her to know that it would be destroyed. It pleased her even more that the reason was because of her fight with Aaroniero. A slight smile formed on her face as she closed her eyes and thought about a place in Soul Society that only she knew about.

It wasn't long before she thought of the hill where she and Renji had buried their childhood friends in the Rukongai district. Her smile faded as she decided on that location because no one ever went there. A moment later a Descorrer opened in front of her and she went through it. As she did she mentally told it to close behind her and it did. She walked through the closed space without worry this time as she knew it was safe.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer; I do not own bleach or any of the characters.

Chapter – 10

Captain Ukitake sat at the top of a hill near Squad 13's area and looked out at the sun that was setting over the Seireitei painting it a marvelous orange. He marveled at the site as he drank sake. But as much as he enjoyed the scenery his mind was elsewhere and on problems that this scenery failed to cover up. The damage from the cero was visible from even this hill and the sight of it just made him wonder where Rukia had run off to.

Her reiatsu had vanished shortly after Orihime was escorted out of Squad 13's area. She hadn't reappeared since and it was causing a panic for a few people but everyone was too nervous to voice their concern to others and he had been the only one to hear their worry. It had been hours now and there wasn't even a trace of her presence but not many had gone out looking for her. Their concern remained hidden out of fear of what was going to happen next.

He let out a long sigh which turned into a shocked gasp as Rukia appeared a few feet away from him. She seemed to be fine but there was a bit of blood on her robes from a wound. It had stained the white hem of the under part of her robes. She avoided his eyes and looked almost disgraced by what was going on around her now.

"Orihime's safe." He said in hopes of cheering her up but she said nothing. "Everyone's worried about you as well."

"There's no need for that." Rukia replied. "I just went to do some training and clear my head. I did nothing more then that."

"How did your training go then?" He asked.

"It was more of meditation than anything else." Rukia replied. "I've decided that it might be for the best to break things off with Orihime."

"What? The two of you were so happy about your relationship." Ukitake said taken aback. "Why do you want to just give it up all of a sudden?"

"It isn't safe for her." Rukia said. "Even though if I do have to run and I know where to go and that we'd be safe there I still can't do that to her. Parting ways now is for the best."

"Rukia, that will only hurt her." Ukitake said sadly. "You know how fragile humans are when it comes to these things. She didn't even stop crying once from when you left to when she was left with Yoruichi. This will only hurt her even more."

Rukia avoided his eyes as she said, "She still has her life to live. I don't want her to forfeit it because of me."

"I'm sure she would do anything to be with you, Rukia." Ukitake said. "She clearly cares a lot about you. It was clear even before you two announced your relationship to me. She jumped on the opportunity to come here after Aizen was defeated and after she did everything she could for the fourth squad she never left your side once."

Rukia looked even further away as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I just want what's best for her. Even if it means that we break up."

"Do you really think that breaking things off with her is for the best?" Ukitake asked. "Your intentions may be good but with the amount of emotions she holds for you this would only make things worse. Given the situation it was best that you sent her home but to end things between you two will only cause pain and pain causes regret. Don't give anyone a reason to believe that you are losing control of yourself. Even if it's just your emotions, those are very strong and if you lose yourself to them there is no telling what will happen."

Rukia nodded as she recalled what Halibel had said about how her emotions affected what she had shown them and what she had seen from them. It had shown her everything they felt when things had happened to them. She had felt how deep the feeling of betrayal and rage was in Halibel from the time Aizen cut her down until the time she had shattered the ice that incased him.

They had even witnessed what her own emotions had let her do. She even had a feeling that Halibel wasn't being entirely honest with what she had seen because Rukia had felt a lot of strong emotions while she was in Hueco Mundo. But Halibel had stated that she was respecting her privacy and was likely only stating what was necessary for her to know. They must have seen everything that had happened between her and Orihime at Las Noches which might explain why Halibel's eyes had softened so much when she spoke of Rukia's feelings for the girl.

"I know emotions can get really strong and that I shouldn't act upon them." Rukia said. "I know what happens when emotions become overwhelming and I've already been through enough because of it."

"Then why do you want to put yourself through even more?" He asked. "Is it really worth all the pain you'll feel from abandoning Orihime at this time? You know she'll come right back to your side first chance she gets. What will happen when she does that and you tell her you want to end things? She won't understand and she'll just break. Can you do that to her so easily? If so then can you really say that you love her?"

Rukia's eyes widened as her chest tightened dramatically. Her sob overwhelmed her and she fell to her knees and in a full sob she cried, "I do love her but if she gets hurt I know it will be my fault. I can't see her hurt or even upset. Every time she cries it breaks my heart and I feel like nothing in the world is right. I never want to see her like that."

"Then why do you want to put her in that position?" Ukitake asked sadly. "You say all these things but by leaving her you will just do what you fear will happen to her."

Rukia closed her eyes and tried to stop her tears as she gripped the grass under her. Her Captain watched her sadly for a moment before going over to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. As soon as there was contact Rukia smacked his hand away from her as she almost glared up at him, "Don't touch me."

Her sob continued as she refused to even look at him now. He didn't try to comfort her again and just let her get all her tears out. As she continued to cry Ukitake knew it would only be a matter of time before he would have to begin pressing her with questions on what she had done other then meditate and where she had disappeared to.

As Rukia's tears stopped Ukitake hesitantly placed his hand on her shoulder once more. This time she just shrugged it off and nothing more. He let out a sigh and asked, "Do you want to talk about this some more?"

"No," Rukia said hesitantly. "I need to go to her side."

"Rukia, right now that isn't possible." Ukitake said. "We need to clear these things up first."

She didn't respond to him as he brought her to her feet and walked her down the hill. Her head was hung in shame of what she was about to do to Orihime. The thought of harming her shamed her and she was about to do so much to her. How could she even consider leaving Orihime? She had gone through so much just to confess her feelings to her.

But she was afraid of what she was becoming. She feared what would happen if she lost control of her powers or if they changed her so much that she hurt Orihime herself. If she hurt Orihime with her powers she wouldn't be able to live with herself. Rukia feared becoming a hollow and with the powers growing inside her she believed it could happen. She knew it could be repressed but she wasn't sure if she could restrain it.

* * *

Orihime breathed long and choked breaths. She had cried on and off all evening and now she was having trouble breathing. Her eyes were red and sore as she kept them closed so they didn't hurt as much. She sat on the floor and rested her head on Tatsuki's shoulder.

Tatsuki had sensed her return and went to her as soon as she had the chance. She wanted answers for why Orihime had taken off again with no explanation and had been gone for a week and a half not just a couple of days like she should have been. But the explanation she got was far from what she expected. She felt a little heartbroken when she was told of Orihime's feelings for Rukia and that those feelings were returned as well. What really broke her heart was the fact that they were in a relationship.

She always had a little crush on the oblivious girl but nothing more then that so she was able to accept Orihime's relationship. Tatsuki could still be her best friend and not have to deal with any jealousy. Though she knew it would be hard to see them together at first but she would have to adjust for the sake of her friend's happiness.

The two weren't completely alone in the room however, there was a black cat that rested across the room and watched them tirelessly. Its eyes never left them and Tatsuki occasionally met its eyes with heavy suspicion. There was something strange about the cat that Tatsuki didn't trust. It might just be because it used a hunting knife as a pillow or it could just be the gold eyes that never left her.

As Orihime's breathing calmed a little more Tatsuki loosened her grip so their eyes could meet. When Orihime looked up at her friend she saw a warm and caring smile but there was only concern in the eyes that looked down at her. She smiled weakly in return for the care she had. It might not be much but it was all she could manage at the moment and Tatsuki knew that so she was content with just that.

"Are you alright now, Orihime?" She asked delicately.

"I'm a little better." Orihime replied sadly.

"I'm here for you whenever you need me." Tatsuki said with complete determination as she met the cat's eyes once more. "I'll always be here for you."

Her eyes widened a little as the cat seemed to smile over at her. She averted her eyes quickly as Orihime rested her head on her shoulder once more with a long sigh, "I miss her."

"You two were together for a week and a half." Tatsuki said. "I'm sure you can go for a bit without her."

"She was unconscious until this morning. We only had a few hours of time together while she was awake." Orihime said sadly. "When she woke up she didn't even recognize me. What if that happens again and I'm not there to remind her who she is? What if she forgets about me because I'm not there for her?"

"Does she love you?" Tatsuki asked.

"Or course she does." Orihime said immediately.

"How far would she go for you?" Tatsuki asked but Orihime just tightened her grip on her uniform shirt and didn't respond. It was clear that Rukia would go very far for her. "If she'd go that far then she will always love you. Even if she forgets you at first her feelings will bring your face back to her and she will remember everything about you."

Orihime nodded weakly on Tatsuki's shoulder as her grip on her shirt loosened. Tatsuki gently placed a hand on the back of her head as her heart ached for the girl in her arms. She always wanted to tell her how she felt when she was close to her but to have her in her arms like this made it worse. She always wanted to hold her like this and now that she was the girl was with someone else.

"It's clear that you two care a lot about each other." Tatsuki said and Orihime nodded again. "I don't understand why you're so worried about this. It's pretty obvious that you two will be together for a very long time. Honestly, Orihime how can you doubt her after everything you already went through together."

Orihime looked up at her with a warm smile and said, "You're a really good person, Tatsuki."

"I do what I can." She said with a small shrug. "Do you still need me as a pillow?"

Orihime got up quickly with an apologetic look and said, "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize that you were uncomfortable."

"Don't worry about it, Orihime." Tatsuki said with a laugh. "I'm just glad that I can still be here for you when you need a friend."

She looked away guiltily as she realized how much distance there was between them now when they had almost been inseparable before. Now it felt like that time had never even existed between them. It would take a lot for things to get back to normal but how long would that take and how long before Rukia came back? Things would definitely have to change for things to work for both bonds.

Tatsuki couldn't be left behind because of her relationship with Rukia and the same went for the other as well, Rukia couldn't be ignored because of her friendship with Tatsuki. It would be pretty complicated but it might work out well for all three of them even if there were awkward moments here and there. If Orihime could make both girls happy then she herself would be happy as well.

Tatsuki smiled warmly at Orihime as she wiped away the last of her tears and said, "Let's clean you up for Rukia. I'm sure she wouldn't want to see you with tears in your eyes."

It hurt her a little to say that but her pain was forgotten the moment Orihime smiled at her. That smile had the power to heal the most painful of things. It was one thing that Tatsuki couldn't see enough of from this girl. Her smile was beautiful and was even more beautiful when she was happy. She couldn't help but imagine what the smile Rukia sees from this girl looks like.

They stood up and went to leave the room as Tatsuki glanced over at the cat once more to see it hop of the table with the knife in its mouth. She watched it suspiciously as it followed them into the bathroom and hopped onto the counter next to the sink and continued to watch them. Orihime smiled at the cat and scratched its ear.

Tatsuki tried to ignore the cat as she wet a cloth with warm water. She turned Orihime's face to hers and began to wipe away the remainder of the tears then her eyes. Orihime obliged to everything that the other girl did to clean her up as the cat continued to watch her as if with growing suspicion. As Tatsuki continued to wipe Orihime's face it began to look like she hadn't been crying as much but her eyes were still a little swollen from crying for hours.

When she finished Orihime looked like she hadn't even cried. Tatsuki was content with her work but as Orihime looked into the mirror and smiled at the difference she was more then content with it. The two looked at each other and smiled before they went back to the room they were in before while that cat followed close behind them.

Orihime entered the room first and stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the soul reaper Captain that was there. She automatically knew there would be trouble. Tatsuki was close behind her and saw the Captain in there as well. She took Orihime by the upper arm and was ready to run with her if it were necessary. The Captain sat at the far end of the room and watched them with a scowl.

The cat, sensing something was wrong, ran into the room. It transformed into its true form and in an instant Yoruichi stood protectively in front of the two girls with the knife in hand. Tatsuki looked at her in complete shock. She didn't believe for a second what she just saw. The Captain stood up from her seat and threw a robe to Yoruichi, who caught it but did nothing more.

"Get dressed." The Captain said with a slight blush.

"Don't like the view, Soi Fon?" Yoruichi asked slyly.

"Shut up and get dressed." She said as she looked away.

Yoruichi put the robe on but didn't bother to cover herself properly with it as she walked further into the room while signaling the other two inside. Orihime hesitated as she knew this might be her best chance to get away from Yoruichi but with Captain Soi Fon here as well it would just be a pointless effort. She walked in with Tatsuki close behind her. Her arm was still being held tightly as if from fear now.

Tatsuki pulled Orihime to the wall they were at before and they sat against it as Soi Fon looked over at them, "What's with the humans?"

"They're my pets." Yoruichi said sarcastically as she sat next to her.

Orihime immediately calmed down. If Soi Fon asked about them then it was clear that she wasn't here for her. That might mean she wasn't involved with Rukia's situation. It put her at a bit of an ease as she knew that Rukia had less to worry about as long as she wasn't brought up by anyone or their relationship with one another was announced.

"Why are you here, Soi?" Yoruichi asked.

She averted her eyes from the woman and said, "Please cover yourself properly."

"Am I turning you on?" Yoruichi asked with a sly smile as she allowed on finger to graze the girls neck.

She straightened up with a deep blush but kept her voice cold, "Stop it."

Yoruichi stopped with a laugh and said, "It's just too fun to tease you."

"I'd appreciate it if you stopped." She said quietly with a pained expression on her face.

Yoruichi looked at her for a moment before asking, "Is everything alright, Soi?"

She continued to look away as she said, "I have an answer for you."

Yoruichi looked at her intently as she waited for Soi Fon to speak again. It had already clicked in for Orihime that it was this Captain that Yoruichi had asked out but got no answer. She had been made fun of it earlier by Urahara. Orihime watched the Captain almost intently as well as she was curious as to what her answer would be.

As the minutes went by things became more awkward and the look of pain on the girl's face seemed to only grow. Yoruichi let out a long sigh and said, "If that's how it is then get out."

Soi Fon looked over at her almost shocked. Yoruichi went from patient to completely irritated in an instant, "I don't need to sit here waiting all day for you to get the courage just to let me down. Go home, Soi Fon."

The Captain watched her with an undeniable amount of pain in her eyes as Yoruichi stood up and walked for the door. Before she got there, however Soi Fon appeared right in front of her. Yoruichi stopped as the Captain pulled her into a kiss. When they separated she looked away with a deep blush, which just increased when Yoruichi embraced her.

It was only a moment before Yoruichi released the Captain, who stepped back out of obvious embarrassment. Yoruichi pushed her out of the room and followed her out closing the door behind her. There was a bit of arguing from Soi Fon but it didn't last long since it was a one sided argument then there was a thud. After that there was only silence from the halls

Orihime and Tatsuki just shared an amused look and a slight laugh before there was another thud from the hallways. They looked over a little frightened as the door gave way and the two fell to the ground with their lips practically attached regardless of the door breaking. Their actions were quickly escalating regardless of the two humans that sat there.

Orihime and Tatsuki looked away from the other two as they moved to the other side of the room to try and block them out as much as they could. They sat on the far side of the room looking right at the wall as their faces paled with each noise they heard. Their actions frightened Orihime as well as intrigued her as she knew she would be doing those things with Rukia eventually. What frightened her the most was their obliviousness to their surroundings. She didn't want to be doing those sorts of things around other people.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer; I do not own bleach or any of the characters.

Chapter – 11

Rukia stood in front of her Captain and her brother as they discussed the situation. Orihime was left far from the conversation even though it seemed that Byakuya had already figured it out. It wouldn't be hard for him considering it was his house that she never left. The three of them had discussed almost everything that had happened though some of it had been a lie to protect not only herself and Orihime but the hollows as well. No one could know about her use of the Descorrer. Not even Orihime will know of it until the time is right.

As Rukia waited for her brother's judgment or his cold look she tried to figure out the best way to get out of Soul Society and back to Orihime. Out of all the options the best way seemed to be by using Descorrer to travel to her. She knew that if she had to demonstrate her new abilities then she would have to lie to everyone about her use of sonido as well as how far she can go with it so she can outrun them easier if need be.

As Byakuya looked over at her she brought all her attention to him and stopped all thoughts about escape and Orihime. He looked at her carefully and said, "Do you think you have a chance?"

Her chest tightened as she lost all hope of survival. She avoided his eyes a little so she was still looking in his direction but past him as she said, "I'll accept whatever fate is given to me. Whether it's imprisonment or execution it matters not."

"What would you do if your little friend gets involved?" Byakuya asked.

"She has nothing to do with this." Rukia said as her heart broke just by hearing him imply that.

"Would she come to save you?" He asked. "Or will it be Kurosaki?"

He watched her coldly as she did her best not to break under his words. She knew she had to control herself so she wouldn't do anything to raise suspicion. Ukitake had already told her that though he didn't outright say it. He spoke it in a way that would be a lesson as well as a constant reminder of what her emotions would lead her to. She didn't want to go through what she already did once more.

"It doesn't matter who comes for me." Rukia said. "They won't be able to stop me from accepting it. I'll send them home myself if I have to."

"Would they give up so easily? Kurosaki stubbornly pushes forward until he gets what he wants." Byakuya said. "He won't back down so easily and neither will your little friend."

"She has a name." Rukia said as she tried to stay calm and not break down again.

"Her name means nothing." He said. "She's just a human and nothing more then that."

"Byakuya, you're going a bit too far with this." Ukitake said.

He looked over at him and said, "You're her Captain, Ukitake start acting like it. It's because you're so soft on her that she's so weak."

"I think your forgetting that if it weren't for her Aizen wouldn't have been defeated." Captain Ukitake said. "I was going to talk to you about this later but since we're on the topic right now I should tell you that she's ready to be the Vice-Captain of Squad 13. I'm promoting her with or without anyone's approval and regardless of what happens."

"You're wasting your time with someone so useless." Byakuya said as he took his leave.

He made no notion for Rukia to follow and if he did she didn't see it as she stood there stunned at what she had just heard. As the door closed behind Byakuya it brought her back to her senses a little. Ukitake walked over to a side cabinet with a bit of a sigh as he said, "Shunsui's going to yell at me for doing this without telling him."

He glanced over at Rukia as he pulled out a wooden box as well as a bottle of sake and two cups, "You know how much he likes to celebrate good news. He'll be complaining about it for months. That is of course that you accept the promotion."

"Yes, of course." Rukia said immediately as she walked over to join him at his desk. "Are you sure about this, Captain?"

"I made my decision about this shortly after you I found out about your involvement in Aizen's defeat." He said. "But to be honest you were ready for this a long time ago."

"I'm not questioning your judgment, it's just the timing." Rukia said a little sadly.

"You said you wanted to live the best you could until the end. Have you changed your mind already?" He asked. "This is something that you should have had a long time ago."

He placed the box on the desk in front of her and opened it as he quietly said, "This will also show my trust in you and may increase your chances a bit."

She smiled at him knowing full well that was the last reason he was doing this but it put her at ease. He removed the badge from the box and tied it to her arm with a proud smile. When it was secured to her arm he placed his hands on her shoulders and said, "You are now a Vice-Captain and we will never hear the end of this."

They shared a laugh as the sake was poured. Rukia took up the cup gratefully and they raised it as her Captain congratulated her once more before they drank their sake all at once before they placed the cups down. Ukitake filled their cups once more and they drank again and once again they drank it all before placing the cup down.

This time they weren't refilled as Ukitake brought the now empty box and the sake back to the cabinet to put everything away. When he turned back to her he said, "You have an early day tomorrow so don't be up too late with Orihime. That's assuming of course that you won't be going back to Byakuya's house tonight."

"No, not after that but would it be safe to go to Orihime?" Rukia asked.

"It will be fine, you're still on duty in Karakura until you have a replacement." He said. "As a Vice-Captain you'll be staying here."

"Right," Rukia said almost distantly as she realized that there would be distance between her and Orihime now.

"I won't keep you two apart just don't let her distract you from you work here." He said kindly. "Now go on. She's probably really worried about you."

"Yes, Sir." Rukia said as she bowed to him. "Thank you for the promotion."

He waved it off as she hurried out of the office. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Never did she even come close to thinking that she would be promoted to Vice-Captain. It had been so long since Squad 13 had a Vice-Captain that no one thought there would ever be another one and for it to be Rukia of all the members in the squad. It wasn't completely unbelievable but with the current situation she was in it made her the least likely to be promoted.

As she left the building she realized that it would take far too long to get to the soul gate and with the almost invincible feeling she had right now she didn't want to waste time walking through the Seireitei. She looked around as casually as she could and when she found no one around she used sonido to get close to the gate but she avoided as many as she could.

She walked to the gate at her normal pace despite how anxious she really was to be in Orihime's arms. As she approached the gate the guards began to open it but as they noticed the Vice-Captain badge they stopped what they were doing and one said, "I'm sorry, but we'll have to perform a seal before we allow you through."

"That's fine, but can you hurry?" She asked.

They nodded and did what they had to do before they opened the gate completely. When it was open she walked in at her normal pace and walked through it. Her pace quickened as she began to wish that she left Seireitei to use a Descorrer in secret but it would be too risky and it might give a very bad impression on a lot of people.

* * *

A room had been set up for Orihime at Urahara's but Yoruichi was no longer really keeping an eye on her as it was clear that Soul Society knew nothing of her involvement. There was also the fact that Yoruichi had yet to detach herself from the Captain though they had removed themselves from the hallway. Tatsuki had gone home not too long ago after an angry phone call from her mother.

Now Orihime was lying on a bed and wishing that Rukia was here to comfort her as tears threatened to come forth even after everything that Tatsuki had done to cheer her up as well as clean her up for Rukia. But after having to see Yoruichi and Soi Fon all over each other it made Orihime lonely and want to do a bit more with Rukia. She had already tried earlier to get over her unease with Rukia but had been denied to do so.

She rolled over to face the wall as her tears slowly became overwhelming for her. After her day in Hueco Mundo being alone was horrible to her. She wanted to be with others not sit around in an empty room with no one but herself to keep her company. A sad sigh escaped her as she wondered when she would see Rukia next. She just wanted to know everything was going to be okay.

She faintly heard the door close and her heart began to race as she began to feel afraid of who was coming in here for her. She closed her eyes and listened closely to the small noises in the room almost too afraid to face who was there. It was obvious that Yoruichi was very distracted right now and wouldn't be of any help if someone was coming for her.

The bed sank down as whoever was in the room came onto it. If they attacked she would have to try and run away but as they placed a hand on her shoulder she began to lose her fear. The bed shifted again as whoever was on it leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek and asked, "Orihime, are you awake?"

Her eyes shot open and she turned to see Rukia sitting on the bed with her with a warm smile. She sat up quickly and embraced her as tight as possible but withdrew as she felt something on her arm. Rukia held her arm out with a cocky smile to show the Vice-Captain badge and said, "I'm a Vice-Captain now."

"Rukia, that's amazing." Orihime said happily.

"I know, I never thought I'd become a Vice-Captain." She said happily before she recalled that she wouldn't be assigned to Karakura for much longer. Her joy lessened as she said, "The only problem about this is that I won't be in the human world much. We'll still be able to see each other but not as much as before."

She placed a hand on the girls face as tears began to well up in her eyes. Rukia smiled warmly to try and banish her tears as she said, "Everything will be alright. I can't be specific but if things go wrong I already have a plan and a way to get to you no matter where you are. So no matter what things will work out."

Orihime nodded sadly and tried to smile as she wiped away her tears. When they were gone Rukia claimed her lips. It wasn't long before she entered the girl's mouth and brought her back down onto the bed. They continued joyously as they lost themselves in the moment. When they parted Rukia wasted no time in sitting up to disarm herself before claiming Orihime's lips once more.

They continued at a quick pace until Orihime reached for Rukia's sash to untie it. Rukia pulled away and stopped her to say, "We can't, I'm on duty right now so if there's a hollow then I'll have to go. I can't have any slipups right now."

Orihime looked disappointed so Rukia removed her Vice-Captain badge and then the upper part of her robe allowing it to just hang down at her waist. A deep blush soon formed on the girl's face as she took in Rukia's naked upper body. She only had a moment to do so before she was forced down and her lips were claimed once more. She held Rukia for a while before getting the courage to explore a little.

Her hands caressed Rukia's sides before they nervously went to her chest. Orihime immediately froze out of embarrassment as soon as she touched them making her blush deepen even more. It only got worse when Rukia pulled away with an amused smile. She sat Orihime up and began to remove her shirt.

"I'll show you what to do." Rukia said. "I'll be gentle."

Orihime nodded as her shirt was tossed aside. They kissed once more as Rukia undid her bra and pulled it off when they separated from the kiss. She was lowered to the bed gently as they shared quick kisses. A moment after Orihime had been laid down Rukia began to massage her breasts firmly but in a gentle manner. She did it slow so Orihime could pick up on what to do for the next time.

Her pace picked up as she entered the girl's mouth. They parted as Orihime moaned. Rukia smiled before she lowered herself to her neck and began to trail kisses up and down at a slow pace once more so Orihime would learn from it. Orihime continued to moan as Rukia's lips seemed to focus just behind her ear as her fingers rolled the girls nipples without pause before she massaged them once more.

As Orihime's moans picked up Rukia lowered her lips to her collarbone and began to trail kisses along there. Her lips lingered there for a moment before she lowered once more and took one of her nipples in her mouth. She rolled the nipple around with her tongue as Orihime's moans got louder and she enjoyed this even more as it continued on. She held Rukia tight in her arms as if she were afraid that she would just disappear if she were let go.

Rukia pulled away and gave her nipple a few flicks with her tongue before switching. She gave the other one the same treatment as her hand found the other breast. After a few minutes it became almost unbearable to not go any further so the lowered herself once more and traced kisses around the girl's navel. Rukia began sucking on her skin to leave a mark just to the left of her bellybutton.

Orihime gripped at Rukia's hair as she breathed heavily while her arousal became more and more obvious to her. It was quickly becoming too much for her and her moans were near constant now. She needed more then just this and she hoped Rukia wouldn't leave her unsatisfied. She was still nervous about the act but she was lusting for it now and she trusted Rukia to know exactly what to do and how to do it.

When Rukia moved away from her stomach and up to her lips a wave of disappointment went through Orihime until she felt Rukia's hand graze the hem of her pants. They broke the kiss and Rukia looked deep into her eyes as she waited on the girl's approval. Even if Orihime was nervous about going any further then they already had she still wanted Rukia to continue.

"It's alright." Orihime panted as her body still lusted for more.

Rukia smiled warmly at her as their lips met and she began to undo the girl's pants. She took them off with some assistance from the other girl as their lips refused to part. They battled for dominance inside each other's mouth until they had to break for air before Rukia pulled away with a warm smile as she took in all of the beautiful girl beneath her. Her smile warmed as she realized she could finally call this girl hers like she had wanted to for such a long time.

She lowered herself on the girl as she stiffened a little in nervousness. Rukia smiled and took Orihime's hand to give her comfort and courage. Orihime grasped her hand in surprise as she felt Rukia's tongue run the length of her slit. As it continued Orihime felt her body heat up as her moans got louder and her back arched a little.

Rukia sucked on her clit as she became intoxicate by the noise her girl was making. The louder she got the more Rukia wanted to take her but she had to control her lust and take her time. This was undoubtedly her first time doing anything like this. Recalling all her nervousness earlier it would be a surprise if she had done this before.

As Orihime's moans became too much for her she went lower and entered the girl with her tongue. She felt her virginity and probed at it with her tongue a little as Orihime arched her back completely. She clearly couldn't last much longer so Rukia continued at a faster pace but remained as gentle as she could. Orihime's grip tightened on Rukia's hand as she released with a beautiful moan.

She collapsed onto the bed gasping for breath as she continued to hold onto Rukia's hand tightly but her grip had lessened significantly compared to when she had released. Rukia licked everything up enjoying every second of it before she rose with a warm smile. She watched as Orihime laid there out of breath as she continued to feel her pleasure as it died down.

The two met eyes and they shared loving smiles as Rukia placed her free hand on Orihime's cheek. There was no need for words as they knew exactly what the other wanted to say just by looking deep into their eyes. As Orihime calmed down it was easy to see that she was exhausted from what she just had. Rukia released Orihime's hand much to her disappointment to fix her robes before she could lay down with her girlfriend.

Her chest warmed every time she thought of Orihime as hers. As she began to lay down by Orihime's side her soul pager went off signaling a much unwanted hollow. Any smile's they had vanished as they both knew what was about to happen. Rukia would have to go take care of it while Orihime stayed here as she was too exhausted to go along. When Rukia returned she would already be asleep.

Rukia let out a sigh as she got off the bed and picked up her zanpakutou. As she slid it under her sash she noticed Orihime sitting up. She looked over almost afraid that Orihime was going to try and go with her but soon found that she held her Vice-Captain badge in her hand with a warm smile as she asked, "Can I have the honor of putting it on for you?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Rukia said happily as she offered her arm.

As it was tied on Rukia could help but feel like she loved this girl more now then when she first felt her feelings for this girl. Then she realized that the way she felt for her then was nowhere close to where it was now. Her feelings had grown beyond anything she had ever known. This girl was everything to her and always will be no matter what happens to them.

They shared a quick smile and a quick kiss before Rukia went out the window as Orihime stayed behind. She wasn't fond of letting Rukia just go out on her own to fight a hollow but she knew that she could handle it easily and with her new strength it wouldn't be long before she returns and it was very unlikely that she would be harmed. If she did get hurt the wounds would probably heal before she even returns.

* * *

Ichigo hurried to the hollow that had appeared. He already knew it was a big one and was going to be a pain to deal with no matter how much stronger then it he was. The bigger they were the more annoying it was to get to its face. As he got closer he realized that there was more then one and they were both a lot bigger then the average hollow that he normally had to deal with here.

He rushed over knowing full well that they already knew he was there as one of them went after him while the other seemed to be after someone. It would be difficult to get around the first one to protect the soul the second one was after so he would just have to take care of the first one before going for the second one.

After his fight with Aizen he lost a lot of his power and hadn't regained a lot of his strength and it was difficult for him to maintain his bankai so he had to refrain from using it for now. He met the first hollow head on and tried to cut through its hand but his blade was still not as sharp as it used to be and didn't cut as deep as he intended as he was pushed back.

It was going to take longer then he had expected. He continued his attacks on the first hollow as the second one got closer to its meal. Every chance he got he glanced over at the second hollow to see if it got anything. It seemed to be struggling to capture its meal reassuring Ichigo that he would have enough time to kill both before the soul was even captured.

Then he heard a scream. His eyes widened as he recognized the voice. He looked over once more and saw that the hollow had captured its prey. It raised its hand into view revealing Tatsuki as she struggled relentlessly to get free. He hurried to get over to the other hollow but was blindsided by the first one. He went flying to the side as he heard Tatsuki scream once more. Ichigo wouldn't make it in time.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer; I do not own bleach or any of the characters.

Chapter – 12

Tatsuki felt her bones crack and break in her body as this monster crushed her in its grip. Her shattered bones punctured her muscles and organs as it caused an unimaginable amount of pain as they bled internally. She was raised up to the creatures face and she just wanted it to hurry up and end her pain. Its mouth opened slowly as she realized she was going to be eaten alive. Her eyes widened with horror as she realized how horrible her death was going to be.

Then something happened that she didn't even think was possible. Blood sprayed out of it's wrist as the creature dropped her with a deafening howl. Tatsuki didn't scream as she fell. In fact she was grateful to die this way compared to being eaten alive. She closed her eyes and accepted this while hoping that the creature wouldn't catch her. But then her fall stopped as she was caught. Her fear picked up immediately until she felt her body being placed against a wall gently in a sitting position.

She opened her eyes and saw Rukia standing above her while facing the monster. All she could do was watch as Rukia drew her sword and waited for the monster to attack once more. Tatsuki couldn't move anything in her body except for her eyes and mouth. Everything else was broken and shattered beyond repair. The pain she felt was unimaginable and kept her awake as much as she would like to just close her eyes and end her suffering. But she knew that her death would be slow as she bled to death from the inside. Her heart was straining to keep her alive and even that caused unimaginable pain.

The creature attacked once more. Tatsuki blinked. Rukia was gone. Tatsuki blinked again. Rukia was back and sheathing her sword while looking down at her. Blood sprayed from multiple parts of the creature before it began to disappear. She sat completely confused about what had happened but was in too much pain to ask any questions. Rukia knelt down beside her with a sad expression on her face before looking off to the side.

She stood up and pointed off to the side and said a strange word, _"Cero."_

A red ball of energy was fired from her fingers and out of Tatsuki's sight before Rukia knelt down beside her again. Moments later Ichigo appeared a few feet away and looked down at both of them with a massive sword resting on his shoulder. "Rukia, you want to explain what just happened?"

"No, there's no time for that right now." She replied. "We need to get Tatsuki help immediately."

"I'll take her to Orihime's then." He said as she sheathed his sword on his back.

"No, Orihime's at Urahara's." Rukia said. "I'll take her there."

"Rukia, I'm a lot faster then you." Ichigo said.

Rukia ignored him as she lifted Tatsuki up bridal style and glanced over at him and said, "Believe that all you want."

Her grip on Tatsuki tightened a little even though she knew how much pain it caused her. Rukia travelled across town using sonido and left Ichigo far behind. She took Tatsuki right to the room that Orihime was sleeping in and found her fast asleep as predicted. Rukia gently placed Tatsuki on the floor before rushing over to the bed.

She pulled off her outer robe to cover Orihime as it was obvious that she still wasn't wearing anything. As Rukia got to the bed she was still struggling to get her robe off so she kicked the side of the bed startling Orihime. She sat up and covered herself immediately with the blanket. Rukia pulled her out of the bed and draped her robe around her and quickly said, "Tatsuki's injured."

Orihime was completely awake now as she looked around the room frantically for her and almost walked into her before Rukia stopped her. She placed her hands on her shoulders and sat her down as Orihime was practically frantic with concern. Rukia went to turn on the light as the dim light of Orihime's inner shield lit the room. It was already clear that she was in tears for not being there.

When the light was on she went back to Orihime's side and placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort. It did nothing for her however and Rukia knew it wouldn't. Orihime was looking at her best friend as she lay in front of her completely unable to do anything as she was paralyzed from her injuries. Rukia watched Tatsuki with deep concern as she sensed Ichigo's approach. He was much slower then he used to be. Had he been beaten up so much by that hollow?

Rukia moved away from Orihime and back to the bed to retrieve the pillow and returned to Tatsuki. She gently lifted her head and placed the pillow under her head and very carefully lowered her head back down. She looked at her sadly and said, "I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner."

Tatsuki just barely shook her head and very weakly said, "Timing… was… good… enough…"

Orihime looked over at Rukia with complete concern. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you when Ichigo get's here." Rukia said. "I need to give him an explanation also."

"Is he alright?" Orihime asked.

"I didn't look over at him." Rukia said simply. "He wasn't really my concern at the time and still isn't."

Orihime nodded but even with her concern she couldn't help but keep her slight smile hidden. Rukia smiled weakly at her but couldn't manage much more with the current situation. As Ichigo got closer to the shop Rukia began to notice that Orihime was pretty oblivious that the robe wasn't closed completely and revealed a bit too much skin.

Tatsuki seeing Orihime like this was one thing but Ichigo was another. The two girls were best friends and had undoubtedly changed around each other so many times at school or other locations that this was nothing new to them. While for Ichigo it was an entirely different situation. He was male and would react like a male normally would when seeing a female body so exposed.

"Orihime," Rukia started. "Can you cover up some more?"

She looked at her blankly and completely oblivious to how exposed she was to anyone who looked at her. Orihime glanced down then back up with a deep blush as she wrapped the robe around her tightly as her embarrassment kicked in once more. Rukia couldn't help but chuckle at her embarrassment a little before the door opened and Ichigo walked in the room.

He looked completely taken aback when he found Orihime wrapped up in Rukia's robe. He looked over at Rukia and gave her an odd look before joining them. He looked back over at Orihime as he asked, "How is she doing, Orihime?"

She just shook her head sadly as Rukia reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder once more. "She'll be fine. I've never seen anyone with healing abilities anywhere close to yours."

Orihime smiled brightly over at her as her mood picked up while Ichigo just sighed as his was unchanging. He looked over at Rukia again as he waited for an explanation. She was more then aware that both Ichigo and Orihime were waiting for answers for questions that she had already avoided. It would be hard to explain this to Ichigo but Orihime was already aware of her new abilities.

"Rukia, what happened back there?" Ichigo asked as he crossed his arms.

"I did my job." Rukia said.

"With a cero?" He asked. "You didn't even go close to the second hollow and the first died instantly."

"Don't ask so many questions." Rukia said bluntly. "It'll just overwhelm your small brain."

"What was that about 'small'?" Ichigo asked angrily. "If anything you're the one that's small."

A vain pulsed in Rukia's forehead but she did nothing to retaliate even though she wanted to say something demeaning to him. She would have if she didn't have to watch her temper as well as everything she did especially around Ichigo. She could be watched through him so she had to be extra careful in his presence.

"What's with you?" He asked as if a little disappointed that she didn't say anything back to him. "Normally you're always quick to argue."

"You're not worth it." She said. "I have enough to worry about now."

"Like what?" He asked.

"Like who's going to be babysitting you now that I'll be gone." She said. "I won't be in charge of Karakura for much longer. This is probably my last night here."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm a Vice-Captain now. I won't be patrolling the human world anymore." Rukia said. "You'll have to hide behind someone else."

"Ha, when have I ever hid behind you?" He asked.

"Whatever," Rukia said. "Just do yourself a favor and forget about me."

She stood up and walked over to the bed to retrieve her badge and tired it to her sash before walking back to join them as Orihime's shield disappeared. Rukia knelt down beside Orihime and raised her hand over Tatsuki and said, "Try to touch my hand. It will be okay."

Her hand slowly rose and her fingers touched Rukia's palm. "Keep contact."

Rukia moved her hand back and forth above Tatsuki and she kept contact pretty well. Of course she was fine but she was probably still unaware how remarkable Orihime's healing ability really was so her brain was still telling her that moving would cause immense pain. She would have to start slow so she knew that nothing would hurt her and she was fine now.

She raised her hand so Tatsuki's arm would be stretched out completely. When Rukia was satisfied she stood up and offered her hands to support Tatsuki as she said, "Stand up slowly."

Tatsuki complied with a growing look of mixed fear and shock, "How is this possible?"

"Like I said before, Orihime has an amazing healing ability." Rukia said as the others stood up as well. She looked over at Orihime and said, "I wouldn't be surprised if there's already a spot for you in Squad 4."

Tatsuki looked over at Orihime as tears formed in her eyes before practically jumping into her arms to embrace her, "Thank you so much for this, Orihime. I didn't think I'd ever be able to move again."

Rukia felt a little irritated by this automatic action but let it slide considering the extent of her injuries and their close friendship. There was also the fact that Tatsuki was a very skilled athlete and for her to become paralyzed would be a slow death sentence. To go from competitions to a bed for the rest of their life must be the worst thing that could happen to an athlete.

She looked away from the two of them to avoid snapping at Tatsuki as she continued her tears as her thoughts of being paralyzed became too much for her. After a moment her sob died down and Rukia built up the courage to look over at them. She found Tatsuki's gaze on her now. She looked almost broken about what had happened to her.

Rukia tried to smile for her as she placed a hand on her shoulder, "Are you alright, Tatsuki?"

She nodded slowly, "I owe you my life, Rukia."

"Don't worry about it." Rukia said kindly. "I was just doing my job."

"Still, if it weren't for you I wouldn't be here right now." Tatsuki said.

Rukia glanced over at Ichigo and said, "At least someone's grateful."

"Oh, shut up." Ichigo said. "You never thanked me when I saved your life or when I took over your duties for you."

"Yeah, but you're not worth it." Rukia said. "Now go home I want to go to sleep."

Ichigo scoff and headed for the window and jumped out before glancing back, "Thanks, Rukia."

With that he was gone and Rukia was left taken aback. To think that he would actually thank her for all the things that happened to him over the past few months. Rukia was even to blame for it all as well. She snapped out of it and turned her attention back to Tatsuki as she let out a sigh, "I'll take you home."

Tatsuki offered a faint nod as Rukia looked over at Orihime, who still gripped the robe tightly around her body. Rukia offered her a smile, "I shouldn't be long."

She nodded hesitantly though she was clearly saddened to see Rukia leave once more. Rukia went over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She pulled her a little closer and said, "I'll be alright. Don't wait up."

They shared a kiss and this time it was Tatsuki that looked away. Her chest tightened a little at their intimacy. She had realized earlier that her feelings for Orihime were more then just a simple crush now. It just figures that they grew when the girl was out of her reach. She found something to occupy her gaze as the two had a quick conversation and Rukia retrieved her robe from her.

After a few minutes Rukia and Tatsuki were flying over the town. This trip was very uncomfortable for Tatsuki since she was very unaccustomed to being carried on someone's back and far above ground no less and for Rukia to act as if this was normal but she was far from normal. What happened back when she was saved was completely unbelievable. She had disappeared for only a second and the creature was killed then she carried Tatsuki's broken body across town in an instant.

This trip was taking a lot longer though. Rukia was taking her time now but there was no emergency right now so it was probably why. It presented a good opportunity for a bad conversation that unfortunately had to happen, "Rukia, um, about your relationship with Orihime."

"What about it?" Rukia asked as she glanced over at her.

"I'm glad to see Orihime happy and all that but she's my best friend. This might sound stupid but if you break her heart I'll kick your ass." Tatsuki said.

"That does sound stupid but it's a given." Rukia said. "Either way I'll fight fair."

"This is going to sound even worse." Tatsuki said. "I have feelings for Orihime."

Rukia came to a stop and looked over her shoulder as Tatsuki buried her face in her neck as her grip tightened a little like she was fighting off tears. "Tatsuki, look down right now."

She obliged and Rukia continued, "You had a bit of bad time telling me that."

Tatsuki immediately tightened her grip around Rukia even more as she begged, "Please don't drop me."

"I wasn't going to." Rukia said. "Just try to avoid saying something like that when someone can easily end your life."

Rukia continued on but Tatsuki continued to hold onto her tightly as if afraid that she would die. Regardless of her fear she continued talking, "So you don't mind then?"

"Of course I do, but you two are best friends." Rukia said. "It's only natural that one of you would have feelings for the other. I had a feeling that one of you had feelings for the other but I didn't know it was you."

"You think she might like me?" Tatsuki asked as if excited but kept her face buried in Rukia's neck.

"Tatsuki, do yourself a favor and stop talking." Rukia said.

"I'm sorry, but I really like her." Tatsuki said. "She's my best friend and I know her better then anyone. I've always been there for her but you just come along and-"

Tatsuki was cut off as Rukia dropped her. She fell only about two feet before she landed on the ground. Her shock and confusion was evident as Rukia walked away from her and sat at a park bench. "When did we get to the ground?"

"When you refused to shut up." Rukia said simply. "Come sit down."

Tatsuki remained on the ground and watched her suspiciously. There was good reason for the mistrust but not exactly necessary as Rukia continued to watch her, "Do you want to continue your protest or would you rather talk about it properly?"

Tatsuki avoided her eyes and said, "I wanted to know why she fell for you and not me but when you saved me it became a bit obvious if you saved her like that before."

"I've only recently been able to do the things you've witnessed tonight." Rukia said. "To be perfectly honest I don't even know why she fell for me but I fell for her because of how she is. It was nothing she did or said it was just her personality and how she is."

"Yeah, that's how it started for me." Tatsuki said fondly. "It was only a small crush until today but when I found out about you two I started to realize it wasn't just a crush anymore."

"I meant to thank you for earlier." Rukia said. "You comforted her a lot today didn't you?"

"She told you about it?" She asked almost taken aback.

"No, we didn't do much talking when we were together tonight. She didn't have to tell me about it though. It was obvious." Rukia replied. "I was able to sense her reiatsu off of you when I rescued you. It was really strong and that's why you were attacked by the hollows. They felt her reiatsu on you. I can assure you it's gone now and mine won't linger on you."

Tatsuki remained silent for a while so Rukia eventually spoke up, "So how was she today?"

"She was in tears for hours." Tatsuki said angrily. "I was the one that took care of her. Where were you?"

"I was hiding so she could get away from Soul Society and I wouldn't drag her into my situation." Rukia said. "There's a pretty good chance that I'll be executed because I have acquired powers that I'm not supposed to have."

"What do you mean?" Tatsuki asked.

"I've acquired some hollow abilities and my superiors aren't too pleased about it." Rukia said sadly. "If they find out about my relationship with Orihime it would only put her in danger so I left her behind and she was brought back here. It was the only thing I could do to protect her at the time. I'm able to be here with her tonight because well, it's likely that my execution will be soon so my Captain let me have a night with Orihime.

"I know that if they decide to execute me I won't be able to fight them so I'll just accept it but if they try to involve Orihime I'll do whatever it takes to protect her." Rukia said with complete confidence. "I've already made the necessary arrangements for a place to run to. But if that does happen I'll have to get to Orihime first and she'll disappear without a trace or word again. No notice and no goodbyes."

"That's pretty harsh." Tatsuki said. "But weren't you just promoted or something? Wasn't that what you were saying to Ichigo?"

"I was but it won't help me once the decision is made." Rukia said. "As much as I trust my Captain it might just be something to put my mind at ease."

"So your own Captain is against you?" Tatsuki asked clearly getting confused with everything. "That is one corrupted system."

"It's not corrupted, it's just very strict and breaking the rules leads to imprisonment or execution." Rukia corrected. "That's just how things work in the Gotei 13. I have absolutely no say in the matter."

Tatsuki fell silent as she got up off of the ground and went over to the bench to sit down. As she did Rukia glanced over at her, "Tatsuki, I'm going to call it safe and consider this my last free night so I'd like to ask a couple of favors from you."

"Sure," Tatsuki said. "You did save my life after all."

"I want us to resolve the matter of your feelings for Orihime. I know it's really selfish but I don't want to have to worry about this. Also I need you to be there to comfort her when I'm not here." Rukia said. "I don't want her to think that I just left her behind because that's the last thing that I want to do. I really care for her more then anything."

"It's not selfish because I wanted to do that too. Honestly though if I had known what you're going through right now I wouldn't even have brought it up." Tatsuki said. "Orihime's my best friend and I don't want to try and compete for her because she's already head over heels for you and anything I do to try and break you two up or get her to fall for me will just make her hate me. That's not what I want."

"I know what you mean. Orihime is everything to me. I've fought for her and even died trying to protect her. In Las Noches it took everything I had to get to her and keep her safe. I fought to protect her even though I could barely stand." Rukia said. "She had caught my eye long before I even met Ichigo and I came to live in the human world. Her smile was always so bright even more so when she was walking with you. It was nice to see that much happiness. That was something I thought I had lost. For her to hate me, I don't think I'd be able to handle it"

"Yeah, her smile really is something. It can mend any bad emotion and make anyone smile no matter what they're going through. Naturally it's really hard to see her cry though." Tatsuki said with a bit of a laugh. "When I was comforting her today I realized that it should be me she looks at because of what you were putting her through but again, now that I know what you're going through I can't really say anything about it. I'd probably do the same thing if I were in your position."

"You don't know everything that I'm going through though. No one does." Rukia said. "Because of the situation I have to be very careful so no one knows everything or even what I'm going to do or what I can do. I need to stay one step ahead so I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk to anyone about this. Not even Orihime, alright? I don't care how close you two are. I need to be able to trust someone alright? Right now you're the only one I'm putting my trust into."

"Of course," Tatsuki agreed. "No one will know a thing."

"Actually," Rukia said and leaned over to whisper in Tatsuki's ear.

She gave her a brief but detailed message and pulled away. Tatsuki nodded in agreement and they both fell silent. It was a long time before one of them spoke again, "Can I ask why its-"

"No," Rukia said quickly before anything else could be said about it. "This has to be discreet even though this is already very suspicious. Since normal humans won't see me at all they'd think you were talking to yourself if they saw you and I shouldn't really be associating with humans even if there are exceptions."

"Alright, I'll say nothing more about it then." Tatsuki said. "But how will I know when?"

"When Orihime stops talking or disappears. I guess you being her best friend will come in handy because you would be the first to know those things and she'd go to you before any other human." Rukia said with a slight smirk.

"Yeah, that's true." Tatsuki said. "I guess that's a bit of a kick in the ass for you, huh?"

"Not really," Rukia replied. "I'm not human and even with our relationship I would still encourage her to go to you when she has problems or needs advice. With my promotion as well as my situation you'll be around a lot more."

"Is that why you want to work things out?" Tatsuki asked with a laugh. "You don't trust her?"

"I trust both of you but I don't want your feelings for her to make me worry." Rukia said. "I need to stay one step ahead for her sake so I don't want anything too concerning on my mind. I'm already planning every detail of my escape and changing it constantly with every possibility I think might occur. I can't have your feelings for her cloud my mind."

"That's fine I won't do anything to her." Tatsuki reassured. "I'm fine with just being her friend."

They fell silent once more as Tatsuki watched Rukia. She was deep in thought as she likely tried to plan everything out for herself and Orihime. She didn't move for a long time and she didn't once break away from her thoughts until a loud howl was heard and her soul pager went off. Tatsuki looked around frantically as she unwillingly recalled the last hollow she encountered.

"Relax, it's just a small fry." Rukia said as she stood up and walked a few feet away from the bench.

"Shouldn't I leave or something?" Tatsuki asked as her voice filled with fear.

"It's only a small one, Tatsuki. Just don't get in the way." Rukia said. "I'll say this right now I'm going to test something on this hollow but don't worry everything will be fine."

The hollow came into sight as it followed Rukia's reiatsu. It came at her as fast as it could and she stood there waiting for it. There were no visible weapons attached to it so it would be using its arms to fight. As predicted it swung at her. Rukia raised her hand to stop it and was barely pushed back by the force. Before she wouldn't have been able to do that bare handed and would have had to use her zanpakutou.

It pulled away and attacked her again. She continued to block with her bare hands all the while getting more and more cocky with her new strength. Soon it realized that punches wouldn't do anything so it began to use its claws. They weren't very long and not even close to life threatening. A smirk formed on her face as she realized that this would be how she would test her hierro. If it punctured her skin then she didn't have it or it was really weak but if it didn't do anything then this hollow couldn't do a thing to her.

Rukia dodged all of the hollows attacks with ease but one got through and its claws pierced her chest. She looked down at its hand for a moment before it pulled away. Rukia just stood there as if unharmed as Tatsuki stood in shock at what she was witnessing. Rukia had the upper hand the entire fight but then that one attack got through. This thing was even smaller then the one she had slain instantly.

But then Rukia just looked up at the hollow and disappeared. Tatsuki's eyes widened as the hollow went flying back. She hadn't even seen the attack that had done it but she saw Rukia thrust her sword into its face when it landed making it disappear. Her sword was sheathed as she walked back to Tatsuki. She held a very cocky smile as she said, "Not even a scratch on me."

"But it got you. I saw it with my own eyes." Tatsuki exclaimed.

Rukia pulled her robe open enough to show where the wound would have been but showed nothing more then that. "Not one scratch."

"That's not possible." Tatsuki said. "There is no way that you didn't get hurt from that."

"I'm not human, I'm a soul reaper but at the same time I'm more then that." Rukia said bluntly. "I'm not saying any more then that. It's time for you to go home."


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer; I do not own bleach or any of the characters.

Chapter – 13

Rukia snuck back into Urahara's shop by the window she had already left from twice already. She removed her zanpakutou, badge, and her sandals and placed them by the window before going to the bed where she found Orihime sitting against the wall and fully dressed now, "You're late."

"I'm sorry, Orihime." Rukia said. "I had a bit of a discussion with Tatsuki about the hollows that attacked her. Your reiatsu was lingering on her so I had to stick around for a bit and we started talking."

Rukia got on the bed and sat next to Orihime, "I told you not to wait up."

"You're leaving tomorrow morning." Orihime said. "I want to spend as much time with you as I can."

"Then do you want to stay up and talk all night?" Rukia suggested. "I don't really mind but you have to go back to everyday life."

"I know, but I just wanted to spend some more time with you tonight, that's all." Orihime said sadly.

"We can do that." Rukia said. "But we will need to sleep eventually."

"I know." Orihime said.

"Is there anything that you want to talk about?" Rukia asked.

"What's going to happen to us?" Orihime asked sadly.

"I don't know but I'm sure everything will work out for us." Rukia said even if she really doubted it.

"I hope so." Orihime said with worry.

Rukia glanced over at her and found she was nearing tears once more. She frowned a little as she leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Orihime looked over at her with a light blush. Her tears were banished as their lips met. They pulled away with loving smiles. "How do you always know how to cheer me up?"

Rukia shrugged and said, "It's just what I do."

"You do a good job at it." Orihime said kindly. "The only other person that's this good at cheering me up is Tatsuki."

"Yes, she's a good friend and very caring." Rukia said.

"She's always been like that." Orihime said happily.

"I don't doubt it." Rukia said.

Orihime's smile faded as she sadly said, "I'm really going to miss her."

"What do you mean?" Rukia asked almost frightened that Orihime knew the real danger they were both in and not just the toned down version that she had been told.

"I think it's pretty obvious what I meant." Orihime said sadly. "I don't want to be left behind, Rukia."

Rukia looked at her sadly, "Orihime, you know I'll do everything I can to keep us together. I'm not about to lose you after it took so long just to get enough courage to confess to you."

"I think that was more of pure determination then courage." Orihime said fondly yet sadly.

Rukia smiled a little, "It was pure determination to get to you but confessing was all courage."

They shared a smile then a kiss before Rukia rested her head on Orihime's chest and listened to her heart beating in her chest. She closed her eyes and listened to each and every beat. After a moment she removed herself from the girl's chest to claim her lips again. Orihime immediately took control surprising Rukia once more as she was forced down onto the bed and into submission.

Orihime kept a firm grip on Rukia's shoulders as she entered her mouth. It wasn't long before things escalated and Rukia's robes were pulled apart. Orihime massaged her breasts and began to kiss along her neck as well. Rukia let out a moan as she allowed her arms to loosely drape around Orihime's back so she wasn't restricting her at all in what she was doing.

Rukia moaned as Orihime took one nipple into her mouth and began to suck on it. She was a fast learner at least as she did everything that Rukia had done to her. The only difference was that there wasn't a slow pace this time. Orihime was anxious for this and probably lusting for it as well. Rukia wasn't about to complain but she would likely have to take control again so they could both get pleasure at the same time instead of taking turns.

When Orihime pulled away to claim Rukia's lips once more she was rolled over and the roles were reversed on her. She was in submission while Rukia dominated her. But if Orihime really wanted to dominate then that was fine with Rukia. Their lips parted and Rukia sat up so she was sitting on the girls lap. She smiled down at her while Orihime looked up at her nervously, "I'm sorry, I just have this urge to dominate you."

"Orihime, its fine if you want to take control of this but there's a way we can both enjoy it at the same time." Rukia said. "I'll show you first then you can take control if you want."

Orihime nodded with a smile as Rukia did everything she needed to then got off the bed with a smile. She motioned for the girl to follow as she fixed her robes. Orihime was now confused about all this as she got off the bed and Rukia brought her to the far wall. She leaned against it and positioned Orihime's hands so they were holding her own against the wall.

"Dominate me." She said seductively. "Do it any way you want to. I'm yours, Orihime and only yours."

A heavy blush formed on her face before she claimed Rukia's lips. The kiss lasted only a moment before Orihime pulled away with an even deeper blush as she rested her forehead on Rukia's shoulder, "I'm too nervous to do this now."

Rukia smiled kindly as she tried to free her arms to hold her girl. She got her hands a few inches away from the wall before they were forced back. Her smile vanished and she squeaked out a moan as Orihime began to kiss her neck. Rukia squirmed a bit as Orihime continued to tease her. The more she squirmed the tighter Orihime's grip was on her.

The more she was dominated the more aroused she became so the more she struggled to free herself. Orihime forced one leg in between Rukia's as she pressed her body against the others. Rukia was unable to do anything now and all her struggles stopped. As Rukia fell into complete submission Orihime began to pull away and undo her sash.

Rukia did nothing to stop her as she left her arm where she had originally brought it against the wall. Her hakama fell loosely to the ground and the rest of her robes fell open for Orihime's ease. But as the girl pulled away with a sly smile Rukia began to get a little nervous and even more so when she found that her sash had yet to be discarded with her hakama.

She knew what was going to happen with it and it would just be a matter of time before she would be tied up. Orihime pulled her robes down but Rukia didn't move off the wall so they remained on but hung at her elbows giving full excess regardless. No time was wasted and no struggles were made as Orihime began on Rukia's breasts.

Rukia arched her back a little before subsiding in her submission. Orihime continued on as she did the best she could to please Rukia as she feared letting her down after all the pleasure she had given her earlier on in the night. She was still very nervous about this situation and it was even worse that Rukia had stopped moving and had completely submitted to her as if moving now frightened her.

At the thought of Rukia being afraid of these actions Orihime stopped and looked up at her. When she found Rukia watching her with a loving smile she couldn't help but feel relieved as she claimed her lips once more. She allowed her hands to explore Rukia's smaller body as they went further then they had before. Rukia accepted the actions willingly as Orihime's fingers ran along her slit.

Orihime teased Rukia until she began squirming once more before she stopped and pulled the sash off her shoulder. She moved away from Rukia as she remained against the wall just waiting anxiously for more. She smiled as she wrapped the sash around the back of Rukia's neck and pulled her off the wall and towards the bed as seductively as she could. Halfway there Rukia allowed her robe to fall to the ground without a care or even a second thought about it.

Rukia's heart raced as her arousal dripped down her legs. She had never been so aroused before nor had she ever been dominated by someone that looked like they were the submissive type. If they were to constantly battle each other for domination then this relationship would be very intense. Every action was more arousing then the one that preceded it even if it was more tame then the last.

They stopped at the bed so their lips could meet once more. Rukia allowed her arms to wrap around Orihime's neck. They continued for as long as they could take before Orihime pulled away so she could turn Rukia around and force her onto the bed. She crawled onto the bed seductively as the sash hung in her mouth. Rukia breathed quickly in anticipation for what was to come.

Orihime took both of Rukia's arms and brought them up before removing the sash from her mouth. Rukia's heart raced as Orihime prepared to tie her arms together. She willingly shifted her arms so they could be tied comfortably at her wrists. It was done quickly and tightly. Without hesitation Rukia put her arms above her head so they wouldn't be in the way.

They shared a smile as Orihime left the bed. She stripped slowly in a teasing manner though just that alone was enough to drive Rukia crazy. If she hadn't been so willing in her submission she would have forced Orihime to the ground and took her again right then and there. But now all she could do was lay there and twitch as her arousal quickly became overwhelming for her.

When she was completely stripped she slowly crawled back onto the bed just barely above Rukia as she allowed her tongue to travel up her body. As Orihime's tongue reached her navel Rukia all but lost her mind. Her back arched as she moaned loudly. Orihime continued completely oblivious to the orgasm the girl beneath her was having.

As their lips met Rukia ravaged the inside of the girl's mouth as she wanted to force her over and take complete control. The only things that kept her from doing that were her hands tied behind her head and the constant waves of pleasure she felt in her body. She was denied any time to calm down as Orihime messaged her breasts and their lips refused to part for even a second.

When their lips finally parted they were both choking for air as strands of saliva still connected their lips. There was no pause in Orihime's actions as her hands picked up their pace. Rukia moaned loudly enticing Orihime to lower her lips to her breasts even if she had yet to catch her breath. She was just as aroused as Rukia sounded but in reality she was far from that point. Rukia had already had an orgasm and was eager for her next one despite her tire from the first one she had.

Her arousal had picked right up again as Orihime licked and sucked her nipple hungrily. Rukia's back arched as the pace quickened tremendously. One hand lowered to Rukia's legs and spread them as wide as they would go. Orihime pulled away from Rukia's breast in shock at how wet she had become. Rukia was panting excessively without pause and her body was drenched with sweat while her legs were drenched in her arousal.

Rukia's breathed as if she needed to have more pleasure. Orihime obliged without hesitation as she began to lick at her arousal. She was taken aback at the taste but continued as she soon became addicted to it and the spasms Rukia was having with every lick. Soon she moved to Rukia's clit so she could bring her fingers into play as well.

Orihime teased a little before plunging two fingers in with little warning. Rukia's back arched sharply as she moaned loudly. Her moans continued with each action as her back was at a constant arch and became more and more defined every couple of movements. Orihime explored inside her freely without pause and curled her fingers enticing even more excited moans from Rukia.

Rukia's moans were near constant now as she reached her limit once more and collapsed in complete exhaustion. Orihime stopped immediately in fear of what just happened. Everything was going fine then Rukia just collapsed in silence. Her breathing was heavy and she looked exhausted. She glanced down at Orihime and offered a weak smile and a nod to say she was fine.

Orihime smiled up at her and lowered herself again but instead of spasms or squirms Rukia was tensing up and her legs stiffened every now and then. She removed her fingers and found how much discharge was on them. She ignored it as she licked up what was still coming out of her. She licked up everything greedily before raising herself into a sitting position as Rukia watched her lovingly.

She crawled up carefully so their lips could meet. Rukia entered her mouth immediately but kissed her at a slow pace like she couldn't manage anymore then that. As they parted they shared a loving smile before Orihime brought her fingers into view and said, "You taste good."

Rukia could see her discharge on her fingers as Orihime brought them closer to her mouth. There was no hesitation as Rukia began to lick Orihime's fingers clean. Orihime watched with fascination at how submissive Rukia had become when she had been dominated. It was a huge change to see her like this when she was normally so strong all the time. For her to be so submissive was unbelievable.

When Rukia was finished she allowed Orihime to move her hand away from her face before she said. "I want your lips."

Orihime obliged immediately and they kissed but when she pulled away Rukia chuckled and said, "I want your other lips."

She just got a confused look making her chuckle even more as she licked her lips. A deep blush formed on the girl's face as she realized what Rukia was requesting. This time there was a lot of hesitation before she claimed Rukia's lips for encouragement. She got all the encouragement she needed then she got even more then she bargained for as her arousal grew even more.

Orihime nervously shifted herself above Rukia's face. Her body stiffened as she felt Rukia begin to lick her. She moaned as her arousal increased faster then it had when Rukia had done this before. This position along with what she had done to Rukia as well as her reactions were enough for her heart to race and her body to heat up quickly.

Her breathing picked up and her moans became more frequent as she felt better and better. Rukia entered her with tongue almost immediately. She winced a little as Rukia pressed in further then she did before and took her virginity. Orihime fell forward a little and placed her hand against the wall to support herself as she felt the pain slowly begin to fade away little by little.

Soon her pain was forgotten and her arousal began to pick up once more and she began to moan in pleasure. It wasn't long before she had to use both arms to support her weight as she neared her limit. Her moans became louder and more frequent until she couldn't take it anymore. Orihime released and collapsed against the wall panting.

She got off of Rukia out of consideration and so she could collapse against the wall properly. Rukia wasted no time in moving her wrists to her mouth so she could untie herself and take control. It would be Orihime's turn to submit and Rukia would dominate her as she had just been dominated. As she got the knot untied she sat up quickly and positioned herself behind Orihime as she continued to pant against the wall though she had calmed considerably she was still really sensitive.

Rukia took the girls arms and forced them behind her back where she tied them up well so she couldn't even spread them. Orihime was completely taken aback as she quickly straightened up, "Rukia, what are you doing?"

Rukia pulled the girl close to her roughly and brought her lips to her ear and said in the most seductive voice she could, "I'm dominating you."

She licked Orihime's ear before nibbling on her earlobe making the girl squirm which in result made her grip tighter on the girl. Rukia brought one hand to the girl's breast and the other further as her lips were concentrated on her ear as she sucked and nibbled on it. She pinched Orihime's nipple and did the same to her clit. Orihime's back arched and in response Rukia lifted her to her knees.

Rukia pressed her body against the girl as she entered her so when she stiffened she was forced against the wall. She was bent over from the distance but was supported by the hand that groped her breast. A sly smile formed on Rukia's face as she gave up on Orihime's breast to spread her legs even wider. She pulled her fingers out of the girl so she could reenter her from behind and leave her clit unprotected for the other hand to enjoy.

Orihime was moaning like crazy in the heat of her submission. She had never even thought that the roles would reverse on her yet here she was in submission and in a way she didn't even think of. But if she had she wouldn't have stayed on the wall. For her penetration was painful but it was even more so in this position and with Rukia's body pressed against hers still she wouldn't be able to sit up at all. Orihime wasn't aware that it would hurt even more if she were to straighten her body.

Rukia continued to nibble on Orihime's ear even though she was already so close. She slowed her pace a little as she still had a small trick up her sleeve. Orihime groaned in disappointment but little did she know that her disappointment would turn into shock and an instant orgasm. It was very likely that she wouldn't be pleased with the action but she was in submission and Rukia was in control.

She continued to tease the girl as she whined in protest. She was so close to her pleasure but she was closer then she thought as Rukia brought her thumb into play. Orihime stiffened immediately in her grasp. Rukia curled her fingers as she bit at the girl's neck. Her pace picked up as Orihime moaned joyously before Rukia pressed her thumb into the girl as well.

She released as soon as her back stiffened at the action. Rukia continued with her fingers but didn't move her thumb at all as she let Orihime enjoy her orgasm as much as she could. When the girl's body was completely limp and her orgasm was over Rukia puller her fingers out of her. She carefully brought the girl back into a sitting position and held her protectively.

Her fear of anything happening to this girl still shook Rukia inside. Had she known that Captain Soi Fon was in that very house and not far away she never would have let things get carried away so much and would have been completely silent. But even though the Captain was a couple rooms away she was so far into her own passion with Yoruichi that she didn't even know what was going on outside the room she was in.

Orihime continued to calm down in Rukia's embrace as her neck had constant attention. She moaned lovingly as she sank into Rukia's body. Her love for Rukia was continuously on the rise and she wanted nothing to happen to her or between them. There was a very warm smile on her face even though no one saw it. The two of them simply loved each other beyond measure or equality. They always wanted to be together.

As Orihime completely calmed down Rukia became even more protective of her. She continued to trace kisses along her neck without pause as the girl enjoyed every minute of it. It wasn't long though before she started to shift uncomfortably in Rukia's arms. "Is everything alright, Orihime?"

"I think my fingers are numb." She said. "It's fine though."

Rukia released her quickly to let her up a little. As soon as she had access to her sash she began to untie it as fast as she could, "I didn't think I tied it so tightly. I'm sorry, Orihime."

"It's fine." Orihime said with a laugh. "I enjoyed it regardless."

"Even still it was too tight." Rukia said as she tossed the sash over her shoulder hoping it landed with the rest of her clothes. "You didn't even tie me up that tight."

"Yeah, but you forced me into submission." Orihime said as she fell back into Rukia's protective embrace. "And you were willing to be dominated."

"That was only because you wanted to dominate me. If you didn't I wouldn't have let you." Rukia said. "I thought you were more of the submissive type to be honest."

"I guess I would be normally." Orihime giggled. "But there's something about you that just makes me want to dominate you."

"How about next time we do something like this we don't focus on dominating the other and just make love to one another?" Rukia suggested.

"Wouldn't it just be the same thing?" Orihime asked. "One person would do everything then we'd switch."

"No, no. It's not the same at all. What we just did was more about pleasure and feeling good." Rukia said. "Making love is all about our feelings for one another. It's not as rough or forceful it's soft and feels a lot better in here."

She placed her hand on the girl's chest just above her heart, "It's what I did to you before those two hollows appeared. Do you recall how nothing was forced and it was gentle and soothing?"

"That was nice." Orihime agreed.

"Then how about we do that next time?" Rukia asked gently.

"All right," Orihime agreed at once. "Let's do it then."

"You mean right now?" Rukia asked completely taken aback.

"Sure, why not?" Orihime laughed.

"I don't think we should just yet." Rukia said getting uneasy with this. She had already had two orgasms tonight and Orihime has had three so far. Normally she wouldn't mind but she had too much to do tomorrow and if she did this now she wouldn't be up for it. She needed to take a bit more of a break before going again. "I want to hold you for a while longer."

"Alright, then hold me." Orihime agreed happily and sunk into her embrace even more. "But can you kiss my neck again? It felt wonderful."

"Sure thing, but lets move a bit first so it will be easier to lay down for bed." Rukia said as she let go of Orihime.

They moved so that they could just lie down and pull the blankets over them when they went to bed before Orihime was in Rukia's arms once more as her neck was being kissed at a very slow pace to sooth her as much as possible. Orihime hummed joyously at the attention making Rukia tighten her embrace a little. A nice blush formed on Rukia's face as the girl snuggled up to her as much as she could in her position.

"Rukia," Orihime started slowly as if she were falling asleep. Rukia hummed in response so she wouldn't have to stop. "Can you teach me how to make a mark like you made on my stomach?"

Rukia pulled away from her neck a little to answer, "It's a hickey. All you have to do is suck on someone's skin for a bit and that's all there is too it."

"That's it?" She asked as Rukia once more hummed in response. "I want to give you one after."

Again Rukia just hummed in response so she could continue as Orihime fell asleep in her arms. Rukia continued to hold and kiss Orihime for a very long time even though she knew the girl had fallen asleep long ago. She just wanted to hold and kiss her as much as she could while she still had the chance to do it. As much as she always wanted to hold onto this girl she knew she couldn't for much longer as her time grew shorter and each minute became even more precious.

If she could she would stay with this girl until the very end but to keep her safe they had to keep their distance from one another after this night ended. Rukia had to do everything in her power to protect this very girl from harm but if she's executed she won't be able to protect her anymore. A sob formed in her throat as she thought about how this might be the last time she'll be able to hold this girl in her arms.

As much as it saddened her she shifted herself so she was next to the girl and she could lay her down properly on the bed. She tucked Orihime in and brushed the hair out of her face with a warm smile before getting off the bed to get dressed. She got dressed slowly and sadly as she kept glancing at Orihime to make sure she hadn't woken up to an empty bed and think that she was being left behind.

When she was dressed she picked up Orihime's clothes and tried to shake out any wrinkles before folding them and placing them on the table for her the next morning. After she finished she walked back to the bed and just sat on the edge so she could watch Orihime in complete admiration. The longer she sat there the guiltier she felt for having to get dressed but it was necessary if there was a hollow.

Rukia laid down under the blankets and snuggled up to Orihime and allowed her hand to caress her stomach and in particular the spot that she had marked. She was fond of that mark just as much as Orihime was. A frown formed on her face as her mind wondered on what was to come for her. When she had returned to this room the only thing she cared about was making Orihime happy so she didn't think of the future at all.

Now it was all that she thought about and it was beginning to make a sob form in her throat. Soon her sob got too big and too painful. Tears formed in her eyes and fell onto Orihime's shoulder as she couldn't control them but she couldn't sit up to wipe them away as just being close to Orihime, whether she was awake or not was the best source of comfort she had because she didn't know if she would ever be able to lay like this again.

Rukia continued to lay there crying silently with Orihime's presence as her only comfort. She cried for a long time before tiring herself out and falling asleep. She dreamt of her coming execution. She was alone and Orihime wasn't there nor was she involved. She was still in the world of the living completely oblivious to Rukia's coming death. But as it was about to happen she head a voice and looked over. Orihime was right beside her and about to die with her.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer; I do not own bleach or any of the characters.

Chapter – 14

Orihime awoke in a strange bed and stretched out a little before recalling the previous night with a warm smile. She looked over expecting to find Rukia lying beside her either watching her with a warm smile or still asleep. But the bed was empty along with the room. Orihime was left alone and left behind without a word at all.

She sat up with a growing frown and got out of the bed expecting all her clothes to be piled at the side of the bed where she left them but they were gone. She blinked as if expecting them to just appear but when they didn't she began to look around the room and soon found them folded neatly on the table. Her frown became a warm smile instantly as she realized Rukia must have done that either before she left or before she went to bed.

She got up and went over to the table to get dressed as she began to wonder what time it was. She dressed absentmindedly but as she was getting her shirt on there was a quick knock on the door. Orihime walked over and opened it to find Tatsuki standing there looking very awkward. Before Orihime could even ask about her awkwardness she faintly heard moans coming from down the hallway.

Orihime stepped aside so Tatsuki could enter the room as she said, "They still haven't let up one bit."

Tatsuki didn't say anything in response as she walked into the room. "I stopped by your house and got your things for you since we have school today."

"But I remember locking my door last time I was home." Orihime said in confusion.

"You did, but I have a spare key, remember?" Tatsuki said. "I let myself in and locked up when I left."

"I forgot I gave you a key." Orihime chuckled as Tatsuki handed her a bag with her uniform in it.

Tatsuki went to sit on the bed before stopping and glancing back at Orihime, "I'm guessing it's probably not safe to sit on the bed."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Orihime asked with a slight pout.

"I think it's pretty obvious that you and Rukia were pretty intimate last night." Tatsuki said.

"What makes you say that?" Orihime asked obliviously.

"You were naked when I was brought here last night." Tatsuki said. "And I doubt you two just cuddled afterwards."

"I guess I'm found out." She said with a giggle as Tatsuki went to lean on the wall. "But it wasn't just the bed. We used the wall too."

Tatsuki practically jumped off the wall as her face reddened a bit. Her mind was trying to imagine just what had gone one in this room the previous night though it was all against her will. "You can relax it wasn't that wall and it's not like we did anything that bad on it. I just used it to dominate Rukia."

"I don't need the details, Orihime." Tatsuki whined. "Just hurry up and change. I don't want to be late for school."

Orihime giggled at her friend's awkwardness as she pulled off her shirt. Tatsuki watched her a little impatiently as she just wanted to leave this place. Being here made her uncomfortable and made her think about a lot of things that she didn't want to. The hollow that had attacked and paralyzed her the previous night, the news of Orihime in a relationship, finding out about their intimacy together, then there were the other two women who had yet to stop having sex.

As Orihime put her shirt on the table Tatsuki noticed a strange mark on her stomach. It wasn't something normal and it was definitely new. "Orihime, that mark…"

She didn't even know how to finish her sentence. Orihime looked over at her blankly then followed her gaze and found that her hickey wasn't just a hickey anymore. It was bigger now and in the shape of a heart like Rukia had done more to it when Orihime was asleep. She smiled warmly as she realized that Rukia must have known that she would have to leave early and so did this as a small gift.

"She changed it." Orihime said fondly as she placed a hand on it.

Tatsuki looked at her and found a look in her eyes that she had never seen before. The gaze in her eyes was enough to make Tatsuki's heart skip a beat. She went a bit closer to Orihime and asked, "Can I see it?"

Orihime smiled over at her in approval as she removed her hand. Tatsuki walked over and crouched down to look at it. It was really well done and a perfect heart as well. There were no faults in it at all and it was done so clearly that it would be seen by anyone that looked at Orihime if that part of her was visible. It practically screamed that she was in a relationship. Tatsuki couldn't help but laugh at Rukia's way of telling her to back off.

"That's really amazing, Orihime." Tatsuki said as she stood up careful to blink her eyes so she would miss looking at her breasts. It was a little habit that she forced herself to learn to keep her out of trouble at school and public pools. Even before she realized how deep her feelings for Orihime were she didn't want to do anything to jeopardize their friendship.

"You might want to hide that at school though. It will definitely get a lot of attention from people." Tatsuki warned. "You already are going to be the center of attention since you were gone for so long. What are you even going to tell everyone?"

"I'll tell them I was taking care of my girlfriend." Orihime said happily as she continued to get dressed.

"That will just make things worse." Tatsuki said as she buried her face in her hand.

Orihime didn't seem to hear Tatsuki's comment as she hummed happily while she changed. Tatsuki went back to the wall as her mind wandered once more on the events that happened to her last night but they were focused more on the conversation she had with Rukia. There was probably more to that hickey then just a sign for people to back off. It may be her final way of saying, _I love you._

Would Orihime figure that out though? With her happy state it was unlikely she would realize it until it was long gone along with Rukia. When she finally realizes it this happy state she's in will vanish and she'll be as emotionally broken as Tatsuki's body was the previous night. When things go south Tatsuki will really have to step up and be there for her and if she disappears she'll have to follow the orders Rukia had given her the previous night. She knew exactly what to do and who to go to for help.

When she looked over at Orihime next she was changed and putting her dirty clothes in the bag when she stopped and began fishing around in the bag and pulled out her jeans to fish out a piece of paper, that was clearly a note, from the pocket. Tatsuki avoided her eyes as she knew this note was none of her business and probably had to do with what was going to happen to Rukia soon.

As Orihime read the note her chest warmed with love but tightened with fear as it read,

_Orihime, I apologize for not waking you before I left but you were too beautiful to disturb. I have to go back to Soul Society to do my duty as a Vice-Captain. Know that you are safe and will be as long as I have the strength to protect you. I don't know when we'll see each other again but I had a lovely time with you last night and it will always be in my memory._

_I still don't know exactly what's going to happen to me but arrangements have been made and I know I can keep you safe if you are put in danger. If something goes wrong tell Tatsuki, she'll know what to do and I might not get to you in time. She hasn't done much to earn my trust but if you trust her then that's all I need. She also feels that she owes me so she'll be acting on that as well so she'd do something foolish._

_Don't come for me, I'll come for you._

_Ps,_

_I hope you like what I did with the hickey. Next time we see each other I'll show you how to do it like that. I hope whenever you look at the mark it reminds you how much I care for you. My feelings for you will never change and I'll always love you. I'd throw everything away just to make sure you're safe._

_Also could you tell Tatsuki to back off for me?_

Orihime couldn't help but get confused at the last part and she looked over at Tatsuki, "Why would Rukia ask me to tell you to 'back off'?"

Tatsuki straightened up and her face paled as she looked over, "She actually wrote that?"

"Yeah, she mentioned you a couple of times." Orihime said as she looked back at the note. "Why do you know what to do?"

Tatsuki tried to look taken aback as if confused about what she was talking about though it was obvious it had to do with the conversation the two of them had. She looked at Orihime and found she was waiting for an answer so she sighed and said, "I'm not supposed to talk about it to anyone. Not even you. I'm sorry, Orihime but I made a promise to keep quiet."

Orihime pouted but said, "I want to know but I know you don't break promises."

"Thanks for understanding, Orihime." Tatsuki said with a relieved smile though it pained her. There was no promise to Rukia about keeping quiet but it was her own promise to Orihime to keep her safe. If not talking about it to anyone until it was necessary would keep her safe then she would keep it a secret and she would lie when she had to.

* * *

Rukia slept restlessly on the couch in her Captain's office. She hadn't slept well the previous night with all the excitement and her nightmares that didn't allow her to get more then half an hour of rest at a time. She had finished all the things she had to do though it was hard for her to keep her eyes open so was granted a rest.

Even now her dreams plagued her as she dreamt of her coming execution then Orihime was suddenly there beside her about to be executed with her as well. Every time she had that dream she woke up in hysteria and fear as a cold sweat dripped down her face. They were more detailed when she was away from Orihime and they were far more painful to experience and witness as she was powerless to do anything to protect Orihime in her dreams even though she was stronger then she has ever been.

As her dream concluded with their execution she shot up on the couch panting in a cold sweat. She buried her hand in her face as she tried to banish the images that flashed through her mind. These dreams were more convincing of her fate then anything else she had heard anyone say the past few hours and were far worse then the looks she was getting from a few soul reapers.

Everyone looked at her in fear as if they no longer trusted her. They all knew about her powers and she terrified all of them. There wasn't one person she knew didn't look at her with fear in their eyes and even Orihime was no different. Fear haunted her eyes ever since she had used the cero in her fight with Renji. Though it may have faded last night when Rukia held her but she was unaware if it had or not.

"Are you alright, Rukia?" Captain Ukitake called from his desk. "You're not looking too well."

"I'm fine." She panted. "It was just a bad dream."

"Do you need to rest more?"He asked. "You were looking terrible all morning."

"It's fine, I just have a lot on my mind and it's keeping me from getting a good rest." Rukia said reassuringly. "I just need to occupy myself with other matters."

"I take it being up all night with Orihime is one of those matters." He said with a laugh. "It shows that you didn't get much sleep last night."

"I didn't but her rest was fine. I've only been having nightmares when I close my eyes." Rukia said.

"About what?" Ukitake asked.

"What's to come, I dream of my execution. When it's happening I look over and Orihime is right there with me even though she's nowhere to be seen before." Rukia said as she looked at the ground. "I'm completely powerless to do anything to help her in my dreams."

"Do you think this dream is trying to tell you something?" He asked curiously.

"I'm hoping it's not but I don't know." Rukia said. "I've become so paranoid about everything now that my dream is almost a reality."

"Rukia, you need to relax." Ukitake reassured. "Everything will be fine and Orihime will be fine. Things will work out for the best, you'll see so just lay back down and try to get some more rest. I'll wake you when you show signs of a bad dream."

Rukia nodded as she felt overly tired. She laid back down on the couch with a heavy yawn and did her best to think only of Orihime and nothing else so she could dream pleasant dreams of being with her while in a romantic mood or something equally as pleasant. She remembered getting up this morning and writing her girl a note then altering the hickey she had made to show her love for the girl and how she just sat there on the bed for an hour wanting to wake her and hold her and talk until she had to leave. It was her regret now that she hadn't woken her but she was too beautiful to disturb.

* * *

It was noon and the students were just getting out of class for lunch. Orihime was already being pressed with questions from everyone for not being around for almost two weeks now without word to anybody. Tatsuki was trying to fend them off but it was difficult when everything had to be kept a secret. But everyone seemed to scatter as Ichigo walked over to them.

"Hey, Orihime." He said. "Do you have a minute?"

"I'd back off if I were you, Ichigo." Tatsuki said with a smirk. "If you don't you'll get your ass kicked."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He asked angrily.

"What do you want to talk about, Ichigo?" Orihime asked.

"It's about Rukia." He said getting both the girl's immediate attention. "You've been at Soul Society for the past week and a half so you must know what's going on. You know she was acting strange last night."

"Ichigo, this doesn't involve you." Tatsuki said. "They got into an argument and that's all."

Tatsuki had been told who to trust and who not to trust with information and surprisingly Ichigo had been one of the first she named not to trust but he was named the most reliable which made no sense. All she knew was he should be the last to know but she didn't know why when the one that was first named to most trustworthy was less reliable then Ichigo. Rukia's small secret explanation made no sense but she would go to the most trustworthy first.

"I find it hard to believe that just an argument put that expression on her face." Ichigo said. "You two saw how on edge she was. There was no way to miss it."

Orihime avoided his eyes with a sad expression as he asked once more, "What's going on, Orihime? Don't put me in the dark."

Orihime looked over at Tatsuki and found a stern look in her eyes as if forbidding her to say anything about the situation to him. It was as if she didn't trust him which was odd since she had always trusted him before. Then she recalled the note and recalled the part that said that Tatsuki knew what to do and this must be a part of that.

"I don't know what's going on with her. She didn't tell me about it." Orihime said half truthfully since she didn't really know what was going to happen. "All she said was that everything was going to be okay and not to go after her."

"Well if she said not to go after her then she's definitely in some kind of trouble." He said.

"You really don't understand girls, do you?" Tatsuki said as she crossed her arms. "She got some kind of promotion right?"

"Yeah, what's your point?" He asked obliviously.

"So how could she get a promotion if she were in trouble? Besides after what she did last night she wouldn't need help even if she were to get into trouble." Tatsuki stated. "She said not to go after her because she doesn't want to be bothered with you. She probably has a lot to deal with and a lot of work to do with her promotion and can't have anyone hanging around as a distraction since her work will probably be much more difficult now. Have you considered the possibility that she doesn't want anything to do with you anymore? If she didn't I honestly wouldn't blame her for that one."

"What makes you think that her promotion has anything to do with the trouble she's in?" Ichigo asked. "And how would you know what she wants anyways? You two never even talk to each other."

"It's an educated guess." Tatsuki said though clearly now at a loss for excuses. "And we have talked."

"About what?" Ichigo asked as if knowing that Tatsuki was making a lot of things up as she went along. "Are you going to tell me more crap that isn't true or are you actually going to start telling the truth?"

"No one knows what's going on, Ichigo." Orihime said sadly. "She won't even talk to me about it."

"Does it have anything to do with what happened back in Hueco Mundo?" Ichigo asked. "Or is it the hollows she fought alongside?"

Orihime's eyes widened as she looked away. She had completely forgotten about that fact. All she had thought about was the powers that Rukia had acquired. With all the speculation going on around Rukia it was pretty obvious that things would happen sooner then later. The other soul reapers must be thinking that she was becoming a hollow and Rukia had even believed it herself when she first regained consciousness after the battle with Aizen. So what if she believes it again when she wakes up at Soul Society?

There wouldn't be anyone there to convince her otherwise. Would she then try to flee Soul Society and go to Hueco Mundo? Could she even get there on her own? If she could then that was likely where she was planning to flee to if they had to run but could she really open up a way to get there by herself or was there others willing to help her?

No, Rukia was too much on edge to really trust anyone right now. That was probably why not one person knew everything but she had told Tatsuki what to do because she was outside the group and close enough to Orihime that she could put her trust in the girl. But how much information did she entrust to Tatsuki? She was so on edge she might even believe that she was always being watched now.

"It's both isn't it?" Ichigo asked. "Or am I still missing something?"

"Everyone's at a loss, Ichigo." Orihime said sadly. "Your guess is as good as any."

He let out a long sigh, "I'll just go ask her about it later then."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Ichigo." Orihime said nervously. "Things still haven't calmed down yet."

"Like I give a damn about any of that crap Rukia's a friend and I'm not going to sit around if she's in trouble." Ichigo said. "Are you going to come or not?"

Orihime averted her eyes. As much as she wanted to it probably wasn't a good idea for her to go. If the two of them were to be figured out and it got them into trouble then it would just put Rukia in danger and if she got hurt because she was there then it would be all her fault. Tatsuki placed her hand on Orihime's shoulder and said, "If you want to reschedule our study session then its fine. I'll get you caught up on everything tomorrow evening."

The two girls met eyes and shared a smile as Tatsuki gave her an easy way out if she needed it. "I already said we'd study tonight and I've broken enough promises to you already, Tatsuki."

Tatsuki's smile warmed a little though she saw the uncertainty in Orihime's eyes. She still wasn't sure about her decision but this gave her more time to think about it. It was unlikely that Orihime would stay here tonight. As much as she feared for Rukia's safety and no matter how much she knew it would be best to stay here Orihime would do anything to be with her and it was the same way for Rukia.

It was a one in ten chance that Orihime will think logically in this matter. Tatsuki considered giving the girl's logic more of a voice and protest going to Rukia's side but the girl was in love and no one could argue with her and win while she's got feelings that are as strong as they are for Rukia. Any reasoning Tatsuki could give would just be drowned out instantly. There would be no talking her out of this. Tatsuki let out a sigh as she realized that their friendship would soon end and Orihime would soon disappear to be with Rukia. Wherever they went it was obvious that Tatsuki wouldn't be able to go there to visit.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer; I do not own bleach or any of the characters.

Chapter - 15

Rukia stood in the training grounds of Squad 1 as she faced multiple strong opponents, all the rank of Vice-Captain or close, while all the remaining Captains of the Gotei 13 stood and watched with a few other soul reapers and a large group of special ops members. She had to fight them all as they came at her no matter how many came at her. She had to win this fight.

Her zanpakutou was unsheathed and her guard was raised as her opponents had her surrounded. Her zanpakutou, along with all the others were no longer in their sealed state but they all varied on what they could manage. There was only a couple in bankai state while the rest were only in shikai state. It didn't concern her after she had taken Zabimaru out with a cero and she didn't doubt that she could do the same to the others.

Unfortunately her cero was too dangerous to use right now. She lacked full control of it and the only way she would get full control was to train with it and learn how to use it properly. She couldn't just fire them off at their full power like she had been doing. The first on she had used took all her energy and the third one was nowhere in comparison as she feared it but couldn't leave Tatsuki on her own. The second shot was somewhere in between but still too powerful.

She could sense the growing unease in her opponents. Some of them were her friends and most of them knew the damage she had done against Renji. They were weary about her new abilities and had all heard the rumors spreading around about these powers. Vice-Captain Nanao had been explaining some of them to her and of course asking about it nonstop until her Captain began trying to escape the room so he could drink.

It would only be a matter of time before there was an attack from someone. A smirk formed on her face as she heard Zabimaru's approach. She waited until the last moment before she used shunpo to avoid it. As she did the others began their attack as they believed they had an upper hand but the few that did nothing knew better. They remained still and unharmed as Rukia destroyed the foolish one's weapons leaving them defenseless.

There were little injuries and no one saw her attack as she used sonido against them. She returned to the center of the training area as her opponents weapons shattered and froze. Rukia turned and put her eyes right on Zabimaru as it readied another attack. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath as another attack came from beside her. Vice-Captain Oomeada had thrown his rather large shikai at her in hopes of catching her off guard.

As it got close Zabimaru attacked as well at a much faster pace. Rukia stood her ground and waited for the right moment before dodging and allowing both weapons to take each other out as she went for Oomeada. She considered him more of a nuisance then anything else but his weapon was quieter then Zabimaru so it was more of a problem.

The more the battle went on the more she felt her instincts kick in and the more she realized that she had to end this soon before she used up too much energy thinking that she had plenty to spare like she did last time. She feared losing control of herself and becoming what she wasn't. If she lost control now it would be over for her and possibly Orihime as well.

Zabimaru came at her again but this time it wasn't alone as Isane rode on top of it ready to attack. When Zabimaru got close Isane jumped off its head and came at Rukia head on while Zabimaru avoided her to come at her at another angle. Her blade met with Isane's as their eyes locked. Nothing in Isane's eyes said she was a threat and it was the same for Rukia's but they both took this seriously.

Isane's eyes shifted to the side as Zabimaru came at them. Rukia took advantage of her slight distraction and pushed more weight onto her blade to prevent her from getting away. Isane met Rukia's eyes once more with a bit of fear as she noticed that her eyes had become darker then they just were. This was becoming far too serious.

Her sword cracked as more pressure was applied and made sure that Isane could not escape this. At the last minute Rukia shifted her sword and skillfully side stepped sending Isane off balance as she fell forward. Her eyes widened as Zabimaru was right in front of her. There was no escape for her now. Even if she were to jump back she wouldn't be able to outrun it at all.

Rukia had moved around her and wrapped one arm around her before using sonido to bring her to the sidelines where the Captains stood. She lingered for only a moment before she was gone again. Captain Ukitake smiled as she won a couple points with Captain Unohana. He observed the fight and analyzed her remaining opponents. There weren't many of major threat to her and the most concerning opponent she had already defeated once before.

* * *

High levels of reiatsu danced in the distance and Renji's bankai was visible for Ichigo and Orihime to see as they hurried towards them. They had felt the reiatsu the moment the entered Soul Society and they had been able to see Zabimaru for the past few minutes as it flared around and attacked its opponent. They weren't aware what was going on but they knew that some of the stronger soul reapers were fighting someone equally as powerful.

They ran as quick as they could as their bad feeling grew with the reiatsu. Things were getting out of hand with the battle and it was already visible as Zabimaru thrashed around trying to catch its opponent. Ichigo tried to focus on the reiatsu involved and found a few familiar ones but also ones that weren't familiar. Even the one that they were fighting was off. It felt like Rukia's reiatsu but it was much larger then he remembered and doubted it was really her. She had never had this much power before.

* * *

It was just Renji left out of all the other soul reapers that had been Rukia's opponents. Both of them knew the other's moves but had yet to know who would be the victor. Now that it was just one on one Renji wouldn't be holding back and now he knew that he didn't have to.

There was a good distance between them but it didn't matter for Zabimaru as its vast size more then made up for it. They stood and waited once more. Renji didn't want to be the first to attack as his bankai was very easy to dodge. Rukia was thinking the same thing he was thinking about his bankai and knew that when she attacked he would wait until the right moment.

She shifted her feet a little as she got ready to launch her attack. It was only a moment before she was on her attack. As predicted Renji went on the attack as well but his attack wasn't what she had predicted. He used his ranged attack when she was too close to avoid it. Her eyes narrowed as her instincts kicked in. She pointed right at the center of it, _"Cero."_

She shot it off and as both attacks connected they exploded but she was long gone before the blast even got to her. Zabimaru was caught in the blast and fell to the ground but before it even landed blood sprayed from Renji as he was cut down. Rukia stood behind him as he fell to his knees panting as his blood fell to the ground.

Orihime stopped with wide eyes as she watched Zabimaru disappear as it hit the ground. When it was completely gone she saw Renji fall to the ground as Rukia stood behind him unmoving and uncaring. Her shikai was covered in blood and there was no question whose it was. Orihime was stunned at what she had just seen and was frozen on the spot.

Her heart almost stopped as Rukia was surrounded by Captains and blocked from site. It wasn't long before Ichigo was over there as well and clearly picking a fight with them. Orihime fell to her knees as she began to fear the worst. Her heart began to race in her fear and each beat got louder. It was so loud that it was all she could hear and all she was aware of other then the Captains. A hand fell on her shoulder startling her.

She turned quickly and found Vice-Captain Nanao looking down at her sternly, "You need to come with me right now."

There was no time for any questions as she was pulled to her feet and dragged away at a fast pace. Once more she struggled in Nanao's iron grip uselessly as she tried to get to Rukia's side. She was brought out of the area quickly with no explanation. As they got further away from the area Orihime noticed the blood that was dripping down Nanao's arm that she wasn't moving at all.

Orihime stopped completely and pulled at Nanao's arm to make her stop. She glanced back as Orihime began to heal her arm. "It's not necessary, Orihime."

"What's happening?" Orihime asked sadly.

"That doesn't matter right now, Orihime." Nanao answered. "For now I just have to get you somewhere safe. We need to hurry."

Even with the urgency in her voice they only continued on after her wound was fully healed. Orihime followed without a fight as her fear grew even more. She kept her attention on the reiatsu that was barely even traceable. Rukia's had once more vanished completely along with a most of the Captains. If she was with them then they were likely making their decision. There were only two Captains that she could track and they were, Ukitake and Kyouraku.

Orihime was led all the way to the Squad 13's area then to the main building. When they were inside Orihime was released and led properly down the halls. They were too far away from everything now for her to try and get away and try to get to Rukia. She had disappeared again but this time did she know that Orihime was here as well or would she go to the human world in search of her?

They reached the Captain's office and let themselves in to wait for further news or instructions. Orihime sat on the couch while Nanao leaned on the side in wait. She offered no answers to the girl as she continuously begged for them but saying anything could just be giving her false hope. There was no way she was about to do that with the current situation. Not when everything was still so uncertain.

It wasn't long before Ichigo barged into the office loudly making Nanao unsheathe her zanpakutou. When she saw who it was she immediately relaxed with a sigh, "Don't just barge in here."

"Is anyone going to tell me what the hell is going on around here?" Ichigo asked angrily.

"If none of the Captains said anything to you then I can't either." Nanao stated as she sheathed her sword once more.

"Then I'll just ask someone else." He stated as he met Orihime's eyes. "Are you going to tell me what's going on now, Orihime? It seems pretty clear that you do know what's happening if you were brought all the way here by a Vice-Captain."

Orihime avoided his eyes and said nothing. It still wasn't good to talk about these things yet and if it were then he would already have his answers by now. But since he didn't it was still unclear what was going to happen next. Nanao's attention went to the window as a hell butterfly came in. She went to it immediately and retrieved the message and whispered her own before it was sent off again.

When she turned back she found the others looking at her so she said, "We'll have company soon."

Orihime's eyes widened as she sank back onto the couch slowly. Had they figured out about her relationship with Rukia? Were they coming for her now? She buried her face in her hands and tried to calm herself and convince herself that everything would be okay. Even if Rukia would have to run she would go with her no matter what might happen.

She felt a hand fall on her shoulder and she looked up to see Ichigo sitting beside her on the couch, "Are you alright, Orihime?"

"I would be if I knew everything would be alright." She replied sadly.

"Don't worry about it." Nanao said as she leaned on the back of the couch. "Things will work themselves out."

"Are you sure?" Orihime asked.

"It will be okay." Nanao said.

"If everything will be okay then tell me what the hell is going on." Ichigo demanded.

"It's still none of your business, Ichigo." Another voice called.

Ichigo and Orihime turned around on the couch to find Rukia as well as Captain Ukitake and Captain Kyouraku standing by the window. Kyouraku looked over at Rukia and said, "You're getting a hang of those abilities pretty quickly, Rukia. You're almost a natural at it and if I didn't know any better I'd say you always had those abilities."

"I've only had a bit of practice with it." She stated as she looked at her hand. "But it comes to me almost naturally. When I use it I feel as if I'm unstoppable but I know I'll need more practice with it though I don't know if I can get all the training I need on my own. I may need some assistance."

"Do what you have to do." Ukitake said. "Just so long as you keep me informed, I'll take care of the rest."

"Is anyone going to tell me what the hell is going on?" Ichigo asked angrily.

The Captain's brought their attention to him as Ukitake said, "I suppose it is about that time then. Rukia, why don't you go on about your duties while we explain things to Ichigo?"

"Right," She said and walked towards the door where she stopped and glanced back over at the couch, "Orihime, I need to talk to you about something. Will you accompany me for a while?"

"Sure," Orihime agreed happily.

Rukia waited for her at the door. They soon left the office and walked down the hallways. It was clear that both were a bit too nervous to talk about anything at the moment so they just walked in silence. Rukia took a quick glance at Orihime before taking her hand in her own. Orihime looked over at her and found the warm smile on her face.

"I feel like such a fool right now." Rukia said.

"What do you mean?" Orihime asked.

"Well, all the worrying I've been doing since yesterday was all for nothing." Rukia said. "Everything's fine now. I just have to increase my training and get full control of my abilities. It will be difficult to control the cero without proper help though."

"Will you go back to Hueco Mundo for training then?" Orihime asked.

Rukia stopped and looked at her, "You knew about it didn't you?"

"Knew about what?" Orihime asked obliviously.

"That I went back there." Rukia said quietly. "I went for answers and help but I only got one of the two."

"I didn't know you went back." Orihime said.

Rukia's eyes widened in fear a little as she pulled Orihime closer to her. She used sonido to bring them far away for an easier conversation. She brought them to the hill that she found her Captain on the previous day. Orihime was immediately take aback and looked at Rukia as she just averted her eyes, "A small trick I picked up from an espada. I figured if he could do it then I could too."

"I can take you anywhere you want anytime you want. It doesn't matter." Rukia said. "Something I've been keeping a secret from everyone is my use of a Descorrer. It has more freedom then the Senkaimon does and I can use it anywhere."

"Is there anything else you're keeping from me?" Orihime asked.

Rukia fell silent as she thought about it. There were a couple things that she knew the girl should know about. She let out a sigh as she sat on the grass. Orihime joined her immediately without invitation as there was no need for one. The two held hands as they looked out at the Seireitei in a bit of a silence as Rukia cleared her mind so she could answer the girl's question properly.

"I may have lied about when you first caught my eye." Rukia started. "It was when I was first assigned to Karakura. I was just out on patrol one evening when I saw you and you just captivated me. You were just so happy and full of life. You were everything I wasn't and it just amazed me so I started watching you a bit and a part of me just wanted you to look up at me and smile. I knew it wasn't possible but I still wanted it to happen all the same.

"When I lost my powers and I had to enter a gigai I realized that it became possible for you to be able to smile at me and I was overjoyed. You wouldn't believe me if I told you how happy I was to find you in that class room." Rukia said fondly. "That night when you got involved with the spiritual world I was almost devastated to know that you would be in constant danger but when you came here to try and save me I felt as though my heart would burst with my love for you. I had never been able to work up the courage to tell you these things though."

Orihime smiled warmly at her as she leaned over to claim her lips. They parted with loving smiles and a mild blush. "Everything else I'm keeping from you now, well there's either no use in even telling you or it's not my secret to tell you."

"Why did you want me to tell Tatsuki to 'back off'?" Orihime asked.

Rukia just laughed and said, "I thought her reaction might be funny when she heard it."

"I've never seen her so pale in my life." Orihime said with a slight giggle. "So what was that about?"

"It's something you should talk to her about, Orihime." Rukia said as she laid down on the grass.

Orihime watched her curiously for a moment before lying down as well but in her arms as she used Rukia's shoulder as a pillow. Rukia held her tightly before Orihime lifted herself up a little and began pulling at her robes. There was instant refusal as Rukia clutched her robes making sure they wouldn't be pulled open as her face burned with a deep blush, "What are you doing, Orihime?"

Orihime looked up at her with a bright and cheerful smile as she said, "Last night you said I could give you a hickey so I want to give you one."

"Next time say that first." Rukia said as she loosened her grip on her robes.

"Can I do it then?" Orihime asked excitedly.

"Of course, you can just don't start pulling my robes open like that in such an open place like this." Rukia said as she pulled her robed open a little bit with an embarrassed look on her face.

Orihime's smile widened even more as she pulled Rukia's robes open some more so she could mark the same spot. She lowered herself on Rukia and began to kiss her stomach. There was a bit of teasing before Orihime began to suck on her skin. A warm smile formed on Rukia's face but she occupied her mind with other matters so she wouldn't be tempted into anything more then just this.

As Orihime finished she pulled away to look at the mark but immediately frowned. She looked up at Rukia with a bit of a pout, "I don't think it worked."

Rukia lifted her head to see the red spot on her stomach and let her head fall back with a laugh, "Its fine, Orihime. It doesn't form right away."

"Oh," She said with a bit of a nervous laugh. "I though it did."

She laughed as she fixed Rukia's robes and laid down on her side once more. Rukia stared up at the sky as her mind was clouded on many different things now. No longer was it just how to keep Orihime safe now she had to try and figure out how the two of them could still spend time with each other while she would have to be here every day. That only left the nights and there wasn't much to do then.

But that wasn't the only thing that bothered her. What really bothered her was that Orihime was here right now when she had said in the note not to come here. So why had she disobeyed that of all things she could have ignored why had it been the one thing that put her in danger? She had to know what this girl was thinking even if things turned out alright there was no way of knowing that before.

"Orihime," Rukia started slowly. "Why did you come here when I asked you not to?"

"I came here because I belong with you." Orihime said happily. "I always want to be by your side no matter what the situation is or what happens. So please don't leave me behind again. I don't want to fall asleep in you arms and then wake up to an empty bed. I want to fall asleep in your arms and wake up in your arms. Please don't leave me like that ever again."

Rukia's grip automatically tightened at the sound of Orihime's growing sob. "I won't, Orihime, I promise. Next time if I have to leave I'll wake you up, alright? But I could never just leave you behind this was just for your safety. It had to be done."

Orihime nodded weakly on Rukia's shoulder as her grip tightened a little so she could fight off her sob. Rukia felt her chest tighten at what she had done to her beloved girl. She loosened her grip and lifted the girl's head up with a finger to indicate a kiss. Orihime got the message immediately and their lips met and locked until her sob and all sad feelings were gone then they kept going until they needed air.

When they pulled away they held loving smiles before they started kissing again as Orihime lifted herself over Rukia. Their pace quickened and Orihime let her hand rest almost teasingly on Rukia's waist but did nothing more with it as their tongues fought for domination. It was a fight they would have constantly until one of them enters full and complete submission. Until then they will take turns dominating each other and when they're satisfied they would stop but only to start up again later.

They continued trying to dominate the others mouth until their jaws were sore and they gave up to just watch each other with warm and loving smiles as they became lost in the others eyes. They soon lost track of time completely and didn't care even in the slightest as all that mattered to them was their love for one another.

To them it would be enough to just know the others feelings and nothing else. They would just lay there for as long as they could and just look into each others eyes. It didn't matter if days went by or even weeks. As long as they had each other they would be more then happy. If they ever had to part from each other then they would know nothing darker then that time apart. They needed each other just as much as the sun and moon need each other.

The two would never leave the other and they would be together as long as the human lives and then they would be together equally as two spirits. They were bound to each other and their fates were tied together so tight that they could never be pulled apart again. As tied together as their fates were they knew the boundaries of the human's life. They would live by it and work around it.

End


End file.
